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aaronholbritter
Reviews
K-Ville (2007)
New Crime-Drama Lacks Chemistry, Humor
So, here it is, the first new show of the new season, from the Fox Network. This new crime series is as tried and true a concept as the television landscape has ever seen. A buddy cop show. How far back does this premise go? "K-ville", apparently a nickname for the New Orleans after Katrina, uses the city, and its continued efforts to recover from that awful hurricane as the backdrop for this crime drama featuring Ninth Ward native Marlin Boulet (Anthony Anderson), and recently discharged soldier having served in Afghanistan and new guy on the force Trevor Kobb (Cole Hauser).
Partnered for the first time since his previous partner, Charlie, took a walk at the height of the rescue efforts, Marlin's a little bit rogue. Trevor arrives with all the fanfare of bottle opening, and the two start rubbing the rough edges against one another.
The key to these buddy cop shows, what makes them work, is the chemistry between the two leads. Here, admittedly only the pilot (but if you can't establish it then, you've waited to long) there's next to none. Anderson, a gifted comedic actor, plays this one bone straight. He's clearly seen too much devastation to have a sense of humor anymore, and plays it like his character is the only person in New Orleans who is taking rebuilding seriously. Hauser, on the other hand, doesn't say or do much of anything, and the big "reveal" about his character's not so boy-scout past seems like a last ditch attempt to give the character depth.
"K-ville" could have done for police dramas what "Rescue Me" did for fire and rescue dramas. Dropping us into a post catastrophe, PTSD infected world was compelling and thought provoking when Denis Leary did it with NYC Firefighters post 9/11. Leary and his co-producers knew that the show had to be funny sometimes, to counteract the maudlin. There's nothing but a lot of maudlin in K-ville. Here, the concept just feels like another gimmick, added onto a gimmick and draped with a cliché.
The throwaway plot of the pilot is equally concerning, as the mystery is far-fetched, shallowly conceived, and poorly executed. The only real upside to this show seems to be that each episode will be self sustaining, which means, if it wants to, and it should want to, it can re-invent itself over the next couple of episodes, and maybe start to get it right. Unfortunately, I've already decided not to tune in again.
"K-ville" appears Mondays on the Fox Network.
The Kingdom (2007)
Excellent Action Film with Relevant Story
I had the opportunity to see "The Kingdom" during a recent screening and I am thrilled I did. Peter Berg scores big with this high action crime thriller where the stakes are as high as they can get. From the doc-style opening sequence to the heart-pounding action and the quiet, emotional moments, Berg's pace for this film is spot on. In addition, a plot that could have easily become a hot mess is completely discernible, and concerns I read that it might be construed as anti-Muslim or pro-war are clearly unfounded.
The cast is superb, all around. Foxx, Garner and Cooper are all fantastic, but Bateman's character nearly steals the show by keeping us smiling under the harshest of circumstances. Ali Suliman, as a Saudi police officer who is truly interested in finding the culprit, is outstanding. Some of the cameos work great, like Francis Fisher and Anna Deveare-Smith, while Jeremy Piven's turn as a State Dept. official doesn't. (It's getting harder and harder to discern any of his characters from that of uber-agent Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage".) My companion found the hand-held camera work in the action scenes a little dis-orienting, making it difficult for her to follow significant moments at times. There was a lot of her leaning in with ?Who just got hit?? and ?Which guy did they take??, but I?m a fan of the technique so that?s just a matter of personal taste.
That, however, still leaves a lot to love about this timely, smart, well-crafted action story. When what has passed for action lately are cartoon robots and monsters and comic-book heroes, it's nice to be reminded you can have a sharp, entertaining, thought-provoking action story that keeps us on the edge of our seats without having to leave behind a world that is all too real.