True Detective

HBO is no stranger to dark, compelling and beautifully performed television. THE WIRE, DEADWOOD, ROME, THE SOPRANOS, and GAME OF THRONES are the most obvious examples of this. THE WIRE, which I still contend is the best show HBO's ever done, took the procedural cop drama that had permeated network prime-time television and turned it on its head. And that's pretty much the formula for all these great television shows. They all bend their genres from Westerns to Sword-and-Sandal Historical Epics to Mob Stories to Sword-and-Sorcery Fantasy. The latest "genre" that has swept television is something I refer to as The Nihilistic Morality Play; basically a show that is so entrenched in thematic and character-based darkness and just barely giving hope to its characters and, by proxy, the viewers only to snatch it away from them and us. Shows like BREAKING BAD, HANNIBAL, THE KILLING, RAY DONOVAN, THE BRIDGE, THE WALKING DEAD, and THE AMERICANS are shows that are excellent examples of this new genre. Don't get me wrong; I love most of these programs, but they are VERY dark. But HBO decided to jump in to the deepest end of this darkness with creator Nic Pizzolato's TRUE DETECTIVE, a rural drama/thriller/philosophical treatise that doesn't just exist in darkness but in most cases, is consumed by it. The plot and the mystery of TRUE DETECTIVE's narrative are almost inconsequential when it comes to the characters the show focuses around, which are Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrleson). We meet them at two different stages of their lives; first in 1995 when the two detectives are paired up to investigate a murder with seeming occultist ties and then in 2012, long after they've parted ways and "solved" the murder. While the murder investigation does generate enough suspense and drama to power two longer and more acceptable network procedurals, again, when you look at the characters of Cohle and Hart, you see the generators that power the show. You might think that The Yellow King's identity is incredibly important, but it isn't. You might think the fate of Billy Lee Tuttle is incredibly important, but again, it isn't. The mystery, like the masterful first season of David Lynch's TWIN PEAKS, isn't so much the driving force but rather a catalyzing agent that bonds the characters together. Rust and Marty are incredibly damamged people (and in some ways, incredibly unlikable), and there is an instant and somewhat intense dislike of one another that never goes away in the early parts of their partnership. Rust lost his young daughter which caused his wife to leave as well, which has so deadened his mind to ideas of love and relationships and life in general that he purely focuses on the analytical, no matter the dark places his logic takes him. Marty is damaged also, but in a different way. He believes that his world revolves solely around him so that he can do anything he wants with little to no thought of the consequences, and this not only ruins his own life but that of his wife Maggie (Michelle Monaghan) as well. But the idea that the show does really explore is that no matter the animosity Rust and Marty share for one another, there is a brotherhood between them that their beliefs, their actions, and their dissonant personalities cannot break. It goes beyond trust, respect and love. It's as if they are two halves of the same person that when together can possibly be made whole, which is punctuated very specifically in the finale. Another thing that breaks clean from the genre it inhabits is its glimpses at these men in two different times. Most programs that deal with time differentials tend to cheat their audience by intercutting the present with the past in order to get to the present more quickly, but Pizzolato is smart enough to know that the audience for a show like this refuses to be cheated. It allows the past and the present to build logically and organically without haste, which is something that very few shows of this type, if any, allow for. If I had a complaint about the show, it's the treatment of the female characters; they don't necessarily seem fully fleshed-out and three dimensional, but instead seem to be more reflective of the id, ego and superego (respectively) of the two leads. They're not there just to give motivation or to be plot points either, but rather exist in the ether between the relationship of these two men. It's not so much a criticism, because the show isn't trying to examine gender roles, but rather to explore the character of who Marty and Rust are. From a technical standpoint, the show is a dreamland of simplistic visual wizardry. Cary Joji Fukunaga, who directed all eight episodes, is a master visual storyteller. There isn't a shot or angle that seems decorative or meaningless. Of course, the one scene that still has viewers reeling and examining that displays his know-how and his pacing genius is the single-take scene at the end of Episode 4, which rivals that of the single-shot takes that made Alfonso Cuaron an Oscar winner. From a storytelling standpoint, Pizzolato, who wrote all the episodes, really knows how to pace a scene and his dialogue has a rich flow that also never really seems false. The show also has the added benefit of the legendary T-Bone Burnett being the music supervisor of this show. It adds a necessary rural flavor to the show that makes it that much more excellent. Then, there are the performances. It's extremely likely that both Harrleson and McConaughey will be vying for Best Actor when the Emmys and Golden Globes come around in 2014. Respectively, this is each actor's best work to date. McConaughey has been slowly lifting himself out of the dregs of the rom-com hell he seemed to be consigned to, to becoming one of the great actors of our time, with his work in films like KILLER JOE, MUD, THE LINCOLN LAWYER and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB. But his work as Rust Cohle is a punctuation mark on that statement. Harrleson has been defying his initial career definition as the brainless good-ol'-boy from CHEERS since his work in films like NATURAL BORN KILLERS, WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, and more recently in smaller indies like RAMPART and HBO's GAME CHANGE, and while he gave excellent performances in those films, he has never given a performance that's so well-rounded and utterly immersive as his interpretation of Marty. Monaghan is also excellent, even if I personally felt that she was a little underused. One of the things that will keep bringing people back to TRUE DETECTIVE is not necessarily the mystery, although it is a mighty one, or the plots, but the way that this show is so expertly constructed and so compelling. This is a no-brainer as far as the best new show on television, and it deserves every praise that people can heap onto it.

True Detective is one of those rare TV shows that actually suffers from its extremely high quality. Each episode is better than the last and about six episodes in, it looks to be one of the most dense, mosaic, and brilliant pieces of fiction to grace the mainstream small-screen. Naturally, as the closing episodes near, viewer expectation is insanely high. But in order to satisfy and match the quality of the previous episodes, the ending would have to be almost supernaturally great, something so mind-blowing and glorious that all other TV shows would look like child's play in comparison. Then the last episode hits and the audience realizes that behind all of the mythology and smoke and mirrors and red herrings, Rust Cohle and Marty Hart are living in the real world, one where stories, no matter how big or small, must come to a close. And while the narrative does come to a realistic conclusion, the finale is still suffused with the same oddball existential rants that make True Detective a true classic. The character of Rust is probably too complicated for his own good. His nihilistic outlook on life contradicts his involvement with the justice-driven police force. His pessimistic outlook on religion conflicts with the speech at the end about his daughter. It's hard to say if these are flaws in writing or just conflicting perspectives from a deeply troubled man too smart for his own good. He's someone trapped in the confines of his own genius, but like any human, he can have his frame of mind shattered by life's twisted order. Marty Hart is a perfect foil for Rust. Hart is a man driven by emotion and impulse. He is essentially Rust's only connection to reality and while he is equally flawed, he is the far more sympathetic and relatable of the two. Bravo to Nic Pizzolatto for creating these characters and the cruel world they inhabit. The finest details are fleshed out to the point that it would take multiple viewings to appreciate just how rich and intricately plotted the series is. Really, nothing but praise to Mr. Pizzolatto. Then there is the director, Cary Joji Fukunaga, who brought Nic's vision to life. He succeeds in creating the perfect atmosphere for the world the characters inhabit and he, along with DP Adam Arkapaw, shot it beautifully. While the majority of the show is rather standard fare visually, it does have it's unbelievably high moments, like the 6-minute tracking shot at the end of episode four, ranking as one of the most ambitious shots in television history. T Bone Burnett lends to the gloomy bayou atmosphere with a host of country-fried blues numbers that aren't necessarily as 'grabby' as, say, Breaking Bad's music choice, but fitting nonetheless. And saving the best for last, the performances are truly unforgettable. The Lincoln Lawyer, Killer Joe, Bernie, Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street, and most significantly, Dallas Buyers Club, have all contributed to Matthew McConaughey's unforeseen resurgence, but his work in True Detective is arguably the pinnacle of his career. He takes a character that certainly isn't easy to get a read on and completely embodies him. It's obvious he understood the highly complex role and just made it his own. Woody Harrelson, an always dependable actor with a penchant for lunatic personas, changes pace here with an everyman type character that's developed and engaging enough to keep up with the overpowering Rust. Harrelson pulls off rage better than any other emotion, but he still remains totally believable in scenes requiring more finesse and subtlety. It's a marvel that the incredibly talented cast and crew got together and made such a memorable show that will no doubt stand the test of time. Don't let the title deceive: this is far from an average detective show. This is a self-contained masterpiece.

Quand une série fait le "buzz" elle a ses aficionados et aussi ses détracteurs. Ayant entendu parlé de celle ci j'ai voulu vérifier par moi même dans quel camp je pouvais me ranger. Alors oui il y a le classique duo de flics que tout oppose : un déjanté asocial célibataire et un conventionnel marié avec enfants. Mais le style graphique de la série ( dont un très long plan séquence dans un des épisodes), le choix narratif ( histoire segmentée en 3 époques de 1995 à 2012 avec flashbacks), le jeu des acteurs irréprochable ( masculins comme féminins), l'ambiance glauque et peu reluisante de la Louisiane profonde et le générique terrible qui vous capte dès les premières minutes ( musique du groupe "country gothique" Handsome Family, titre "Far from any road" pour ceux qui cherchent) font de cette série une œuvre qui dénote un peu dans le genre polar ( c'est pas NCIS ...) Par contre c'est une série qui se mérite, il y a beaucoup de dialogues, ça ne pétarade pas toute les 5 min ( même si ça arrive), le rythme est lent et quelques indices discrets sont semés le long des épisodes. Bref j'adore . Une deuxième saison est dans les tuyaux, dans une autre ville, avec d'autres acteurs ( dont Colin Farell dont je ne suis pas très fan, mais avec Kelly Reily, la belle rousse vue dans les films de Klapisch - Auberge espagnole etc ... qui me plait un peu plus !). Je ne sais pas si cela pourra rivaliser avec cette fournée. Encore merci à HBO ou Showtime pour fournir des séries adultes hors des sentiers battus et du politiquement correct. A vous de vous faire un avis, bon visionnage

Es una serie que ya venía buscando desde hace un tiempo, buena resolución, no se diga del trama de la temporada 1

I won't review the series, if you're reading this you probably know it's excellent and well worth a watch. I bought this DVD set as a gift and it was well worth the money. The series is so intriguing that it will probably be rewatched several times. The presentation box is very ornate and looks lovely on the shelf and the quality of playback and features make it well worth the money.

A unique experience. I am used to watching CSI and Criminal Mind type series of shows and this was the closest I've gotten to a Soprano's like experience. It was well written and directed. Perhaps too much so. I don't think it would have done as well as a stand alone show on the big 3 networks. It was well worth watching. The acting was fantastic as well by both McConaughey and Harrelson. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes this genre of show.

Bellissima