2024-03-17 13:30:00
If a part of the public has a certain resistance to historical films or television programs, based on great events from the past, it is because there is a certain lineage in this type of production that, let’s say, can turn up some noses: that pompous, excessively theatrical tone, with lines and intonations that clearly indicate that those actors know that they are saying something important and that will go down in the history books. Maybe this is a gimmick for you, but overall it’s a killer for the call. suspension of disbelief.
That’s why “Manhunt” (or “Last Act”in the Brazilian translation) is a little different from what one might imagine: leaving aside the excessive solemnity of historical epics, the new Apple TV+ miniseries — which debuted last Friday (15/3) with two of its seven episodes already available — opts for a smaller, more intimate scale, which nevertheless deals with the complex political plot behind its plot or the historical magnitude of the events portrayed.
The premise of the miniseries has already been announced far and wide, but here’s a brief reminder: “Manhunt” follows the days following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, focusing on the cat and mouse game between Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) — personal friend and Secretary of War of Lincoln during the American Civil War — and John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), assassin of the president.
At the same time, the series’ narrative — based on book of the same name by the historian James L. Swanson — focuses on the political implications of the murder, bringing to light a possible Confederate conspiracy against the leader of the Union, and analyzes the victory of anti-slavery activists under the figure of Mary Simms (Lovie Simone), a woman who was once enslaved and, throughout the story, has a role in Wilkes Booth’s escape and his subsequent trial.
Does it seem like a lot? Then also place a series of flashbacks that explore the relationship between Stanton and Lincoln (here played by Hamish Linklaterunder an inevitable layer of prosthetics), as well as a focus on the ordeal of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (Lili Taylor) after her husband’s murder.
Such a mixture of elements could prove fatal in less experienced hands, but the creator, showrunner and main writer of the series, Monica Beletskymakes it all look easy: with a series of small masterpieces under her belt (she was in the writers’ room of “Fargo” it’s from “The Leftovers”for example), Beletsky takes his first major solo flight with flying colors, giving a dramatic charge to the events that puts everything on a very personal level.
This avoids, as I mentioned previously, one of the biggest problems with historical epics, which is placing a pane of glass between the characters and the audience, distancing them emotionally from us and making many narratives seem more like a filmed museum. than with a journey of human beings of flesh, blood and feeling.
Fortunately, that’s not the case here: the script by Beletsky and his co-writers strikes the right balance between drama, historical rigor and political analysis, placing its pieces like a cerebral chessboard that, like every good epic based on real events, uses the past to reflect on the present — it is no coincidence, after all, that at various times the miniseries talks about coup attempts and the danger of tolerating undemocratic behavior in democracies.
In this sense, a large part of the contribution to the positive result lies in two impeccable performances by the protagonists of the miniseries. Tobias Menzies must already be very comfortable playing historical and/or period figures — he played Prince Philip in the third and fourth seasons of “The Crown” and the cunning Captain Randall in “Outlander”; Here, the actor finally steps center stage as the protagonist and shows what he came for in the first episode, imprinting on his Edwin Stanton an unshakable idealism and fidelity to his commitments to Lincoln. Watching the character try to balance so many plates in just two hands — finding his friend’s killer, controlling a political scenario descending into chaos, taking care of his own family — is one of the most fascinating parts of the series, and largely because of Menzies.
However, the biggest highlight in front of the cameras is Anthony Boyle. The actor, who seems to have fallen into Apple’s favor — he was once one of the main figures in “Masters of the Air”in the role of Major Harry Crosby —, bravely faces the tremendous challenge of playing one of the most striking villains in Western history, without ever descending into overacting or parody. His John Wilkes Booth is disconcertingly human, to the point of making us believe that he truly believed that history would transform him into a hero; on the other hand, the narrative, of course, never fails to remind us of the gravity of his actions and to suggest possible greater forces behind him.
The supporting cast also provides an excellent service, with emphasis on two actors often associated with comedy — Patton Oswaltas investigator Lafayette Baker, and Matt Walsh, like Samuel Mudd, one of Wilkes Booth’s cronies — who play serious roles here, without any comedic dose. Linklater has possibly the most thankless role in the series (because, well, it’s inevitable to compare him with Daniel Day-Lewis’ historic performance in Steven Spielberg’s film, and he will always lose), but his Lincoln manages to escape unscathed. madam-tussaudizationif I may use the neologism, which affects so many actors who play extremely famous figures.
In the end, “Manhunt” — at least in its first two episodes, which are the ones we are evaluating here — says what it came for, combining a complex game of power with historical analysis and personal drama. If you came for the history lesson, stay for the characters, as they are the best thing Beletsky, his cast and crew have to offer.
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in more than 100 countries and regions, whether on iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Macs, smart TVs or online — in addition to being on devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The service costs R$21.90 per month, with a seven-day free trial period. For a limited time, anyone who buys and activates a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch gets three months of Apple TV+. It is also part of the company’s subscription package, Apple One.
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