Review: 'The Penguin' proves compelling without the presence of Batman
The gangster roots run deep on multiple levels for the HBO limited series “The Penguin.”
Of course, it owes its very existence to being part of the Batman mythos, but this limited-run series from HBO starring Colin Farrell in the title role has plenty in common with other tales of the underworld.
The result is an engrossing, compelling trip into the seedier side of Gotham City that gives one of The Caped Crusader’s less interesting villains an origin tale that explains his ascendency to the top of the broken metropolis’ seedy underbelly.
Directed by Craig Zobel, Kevin Bray, Helen Shaver and Jennifer Getzinger and written by Lauren LeFranc, it owes much of its DNA to the grittiness of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” but there are equal hints to the work of Christoper Nolan’s Batman universe in that the series possesses a hyperrealism.
This world is less in tune with the gadgets and gizmos aplenty of the comic book and cinematic versions of the Bat-world than the realistic take of it that leans into the portrayal of organized crime that has more in common with Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and David Chase’s “The Sopranos.”
Oswald Cobb (the character’s name altered from the original), not yet a made man, is recovering from his fall from status in “The Batman” after his role model – Carmine Falcone – is killed. He sees his mentor’s death as an opportunity to assume the throne of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
He puts forth a series of complex plans with double and triple crosses that pit Gotham’s predominant criminal families, the Falcones, led by Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and Maronis, led by Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), against one another with only one entity coming out on top.
'The Penguin' has more than gangster intrigue
The underworld intrigue provides the main plot line for “The Penguin,” but there’s so much more to chew on in these eight episodes as the series’ creators craft a tale laced with humanity, presenting many of the players in this game of thrones as sympathetic characters. At are minimum, all of them, beginning with the narcissistic titular character, are complicated. We see Oz as being manipulated by a Lady Macbeth-like mother who fully expects her baby boy to take care of her because of the tragic life she’s led, a conceit turned on its head when explored later down the line.
In Sofia’s case, the malevolence directed toward her by family makes it much easier to understand the twists and turns she takes and the justifications she makes on her way to becoming an underworld boss. Both Farrell and Milioti craft memorable performances that alternately engender empathy – even sympathy – and then moments later cause revulsion.
They are the stars, but they receive plenty of support from the likes of Brown and Deirdre O’Connell as Oz’s mother, Francis.
The subject matter is up to ‘The Batman’ level
It certainly helps that the creators give them the material necessary to do their job. What’s remarkable is they do so without resulting to playing their ace – The Batman. For those looking for The Dark Knight to inject himself in the proceedings – nope.
The cape and cowl are nowhere to be seen in “The Penguin” and he barely gets a mention. The filmmakers instead play to the inherent humanity of their characters, the world they inhabit and the result is a satisfying trip to Gotham, complete with all the warts, including language and violence. This is not a PG affair. It’s not even PG-13.
Simultaneously, they build a solid on-ramp for the next installment of Reeves’ iteration of “The Batman.”
George M. Thomas covers sports and dabbles in pop culture for The Beacon Journal.
Review
Show: "The Penguin"
Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Clancy Brown, Deirdre O’Connell
Directed by: Craig Zobel, Kevin Bray, Helen Shaver and Jennifer Getzinger
Rated: TV-MA
Grade: B+
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: 'The Penguin' proves compelling without the presence of Batman
