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Colin Farrell (The Batman) is not only a pretty face. Over the years he has carved a niche into popular culture with some career choices that have always made him good value. From turns in The Lobster through to collaborations alongside Martin McDonagh on Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin for which he won a best supporting actor accolade. However, there was a time when this renaissance man featured in Miami Vice the movie, Total Recall the remake, and Oliver Stone’s ostentatious Alexander. Thankfully, those days have long gone, and Farrell is now experiencing a resurgence after Inisherin and The Batman that finds him front and centre in Sugar, a limited series from Apple which embraces 30s film noir.
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Created by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend), this contemporary murder mystery embraces Hollywood history, taps into traditional detective tropes, and marks another solid entry in the Colin Farrell back catalogue. As John Sugar, a movie buff obsessive with some shady secrets the actor excels. Mixing classic film footage with intermittent voice over, this feels like pure 70s cinema with twenty first century technology. Los Angeles in the sunshine rarely looked so lustrous, while Sugar himself epitomes cool exactly like those heroes he looks to emulate.
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On the hunt for Olivia (Sydney Chandler), granddaughter to Hollywood producing legend Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell), there is no doubt that Sugar gives off serious Chinatown vibes in those opening episodes. John Sugar is not above casual cruelty to get the job done, and yet internally detests acts of physical violence, immediately making him unreliable. In a relationship with Ruby (Kirby) that is neither business nor pleasure but somewhere in-between, Sugar also embraces the PI archetype of hard-edged loner with an easy manner and endless acquaintances. This is a tightrope Farrell consistently walks with ease within his performance, hinting at skeletons that rarely get revealed.
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Some may grow tired of the internal monologues, endless driving, and savvy stylistic tricks, but Farrell remains a magnetic presence in the title role of this Apple original. Other highlights include Kirby, who many will remember from Season 1 of Sandman as well as The Dead Boy Detectives. Her chemistry opposite this leading man and executive producer is undeniable, while Amy Ryan’s (Only Murders in the Building) Melanie really brings it home alongside Anna Gunn’s Margit. As Sugar hits its stride this leftfield noir continually moves the goal posts and reinvigorates a genre that has sadly fallen out of favour. Hopefully, this slick contemporary thriller will jump start that love for 30s Hollywood once again and remind audiences what made them so special.
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Sugar is available to stream on AppleTV+ now.
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