I just can’t seem to get ahead. Well, that’s not entirely true because I watched several of these long enough ago that I had to do a quick refresher. I confess that sometimes mood affects interpretation and this was the case in the first series, “Ride or Die.” I must have been overwhelmed by the heat because I really hated it. I found no charm, no humor, no chemistry. Thankfully, I felt I needed to watch snippets again to recapture that old black feeling and instead found that old black magic. On second viewing, I loved it and think you will too. Unfortunately, I didn’t change my opinion of the other two series under discussion.
“Ride or Die” is the unlikely pairing of Judith, a high-level assassin in the employ of a quasi-governmental agency, and Debby, the American wife of a British MP with higher aspirations. Judith’s job is killing a target and Debby’s is killing a sale. That’s not really fair because Debby is the brains behind her husband’s political climb.
Judith has a protocol to follow as dictated by “The Director,” and lately she’s been going off script. The Director is concerned and wants her out. Debby’s husband has his eye on something else, and he wants her out. Neither is prepared to go. They all, it appears, are bad guys, and leading the pack is Debby’s husband who has stolen from the Albanian mob. Everyone is after these women either for the missing money, revenge for a past deed or just for breaking the rules. These very different friends have to go on the run together as evil forces and supposed allies chase them down. Loyalty in this world seems to be meaningless. As is often the case, the greatest danger comes from within.
Well written with a dash of humor and speedily directed, the seasoned cast is a lot of fun to watch. Leading the pack is the gorgeous Hannah Waddington, the tall doll with the hour-glass figure, snarly smile and piercing eyes. As the assassin, she’s convincing and thrilling to watch as she dispatches bad guy after bad guy. Octavia Spencer is her unlikely foil. Quiet and normal, she is the polar opposite of her best friend, whose hidden life she will soon discover. Sprinkled among the supporting cast is the ever-engrossing Bill Nighy and the underused Cathy Tyson, both of whom convey character in stillness.
Now streaming on Amazon.
“Lucky,” the Jonathan Tropper-created series based on the book by Melissa Stapley, is not bad. I’m not damning it with faint praise, but it could have been so much better. Star Anya Taylor-Joy is reason enough to take a peek.
Luciana “Lucky” (get it?) Armstrong has never been lucky, least of which with family. Dad Jonathan is in the slammer for a major fraud scheme that yielded $200 million, of which $10 million is still missing. That money was skimmed from the mob boss that hired him. Lucky, recently Vegas-married to Cary Masterson, the son of said mob boss, Priscilla Masterson, is now a target as well. Priscilla is after the money, not for herself, but for the guy above her who is holding her responsible for its disappearance.
Lucky has been trying to escape her whole life. She and Cary are now in possession of the money, but the best-laid plans, and all that, go south when Cary drugs her and does a runner, leaving her high, dry and wanted by the FBI and the mob. But it is Agent Rand of the FBI who is laser focused on Lucky. She believes, and she’s not far off, that daddy dearest is still pulling the strings and advising his daughter on escape techniques.
It was dear old dad who told her, “Read the room, trust no one and no shortcuts.”
These seven somewhat repetitive episodes are Lucky escaping one situation after another, split second after split second. The writers pepper Lucky’s present with her girlhood past, something that usually works. For the most part, the casting also works. Anya Taylor-Joy is always interesting, and the reason you’ll come back, episode after episode. Timothy Olyphant plays Lucky’s father Jonathan with a smirk. His character deserved more depth than he got, but Olyphant carries off the unsympathetic role with a charming smile. Agent Rand is played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to great effect. Relentless, she is Javert to Lucky’s not quite so innocent Jean Valjean. Unfortunately, Annette Bening as mobster Priscilla Masterson is jarringly wrong for the role. Her naturalistic style comes off as flat. I’m sure they were going for a juxtaposition of blond and dangerous or vengeful Greek tragedy mother, but it didn’t work.
It is the satisfying finale that makes it worth sticking with it through to the long-in-coming end.
Now streaming, one episode at a time, on Apple TV.
“The Hawk” is Will Ferrell’s latest attempt to capture time in a bottle. That time has passed and this bottle is broken. The Hawk, Ferrell’s shopworn character, is a golfer who’s been washed up since his head to head final in 2004 with his chief competitor Golden Fisk, a master at psychological manipulation. Fisk is still a star on the PGA circuit and Lonnie “the Hawk” Hawkins plummeted to playing on a no-name circuit that promises redemption, or at least another shot in the big time, if he can amass enough points for one last shot at glory. And as if his dismal showing in his sport wasn’t enough, he’s also separated (he has yet to sign the final divorce papers after an eon) and his neglected son, Lance (big surprise, he was a rotten father) is the new golden boy on the PGA Tour.
All of Lonnie’s negotiations are transactional. He is immature, narcissistic, selfish; in other words, the typical Will Ferrell character. It’s not that he is without charm, well, actually, in this series he is, but it is a shame to see him treading the same ground yet another time. Surely he has another arrow in his quiver. I certainly never expected subtlety but maybe a little finesse. There are few laugh-out-loud moments (if any).
Molly Shannon plays his foul-mouthed wife Stacy and she does have a few bon mots for her hoped-to-be ex, although most of the mots start with “f” or “m.” Jimmy Tatro, an actor not known for his délicatesse, does, nonetheless find his character in the disappointed son, the newly acclaimed “Hawk.” Luke Wilson plays Golden Fisk with a bit of the finesse that is lacking elsewhere. Stand up comedienne Fortune Feimster has been given the role of The Hawk’s caddy, although her tendencies are more criminal than sportive. Feimster and Ferrell’s interactions on screen are seemingly improvisational, something that would work better if there was more of an underlying script.
Now streaming on Netflix. Watch at your own peril.
Neely Swanson spent most of her professional career in the television industry, almost all of it working for David E. Kelley. In her last full-time position as Executive Vice President of Development, she reviewed writer submissions and targeted content for adaptation. As she has often said, she did book reports for a living. For several years she was a freelance writer for “Written By,” the magazine of the WGA West, and was adjunct faculty at USC in the writing division of the School of Cinematic Arts. Neely has been writing film and television reviews for the “Easy Reader” for more than 10 years. Her past reviews can be read on Rotten Tomatoes where she is a tomatometer-approved critic.
