On August 15, Apple TV+ ended the screening of the crime drama thriller Smoke, created by the popular American writer and screenwriter Dennis Lehane. Taron Edgerton played one of the main roles, and Smoke became the second joint project of these gentlemen on the apple service after the hit Blackbird (2022). The plot is based on the Firebug podcast, which is dedicated to the serial arsonist John Leonard Orr, who set about 2,000 fires over 20 years (most of them took place between 1984 and 1991). Find out how hot it was in the film in the review below.
Pluses:
the plot has room for surprises that start from the second episode; a good cast and great performances by Taron Edgerton, Ntare Mwine and John Leguizamo; some episodes are binge-watchable;
Minuses:
there are a lot of annoying sags caused by unnecessary arches, which can spoil the viewing experience; as a result, some episodes are difficult to watch; ambiguous ending;
“Smoke”
Genre crime drama, thriller
Showrunner Dennis Lehane
Starring Taron Edgerton, Jerney Smollett, Rafe Spall, Ntare Mwine, Anna Emily Anderson, Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb
In the fictional American city of Amberland, there are two arsonists at work. The first one has a demonstrative limp and an unhealthy craving for chips in supermarkets, so the arson takes place in the section with the nicely piled packages of this popular snack. The second one uses much cruder methods — huge milk bottles filled with gasoline that pass for a canister, which he uses to set fire to houses.
Both cases are being handled by former firefighter and now local arson investigator Dave Goodsen, though he hasn’t made any significant progress in the investigation. He is sent to help him by a determined police detective, Michelle Calderone. Now the newly-minted partners will have to work hard to find the fire-lovers and finally put an end to their crimes.
In fact, this brief description of the plot applies only to the debut episode, which successfully pretends to be an ordinary police procedural with a distinct detective intrigue and sets the mood at the beginning. However, the next episode powerfully turns the story in a completely different direction: the authors put us to sleep for almost an hour to give us a shock ending. That is, what others usually save for the finale of the entire show is revealed in the second episode. Dennis Lehane seems to tease the viewer and asks with a clearly satisfied expression: “Isn’t this cool? And this is just the beginning.”
And I don’t want to give any other answer than “yes, it’s cool.” “Smoke” seems to hang over all the shows whose content is reduced to an ordinary detective intrigue, and mocks them. As if to say, while you are trying to glue the viewer to the screen with primitive means, I can offer something much better. But the problem is that he can’t.
Often, the story lacks momentum, because the creators are inappropriately scattered on some minor plot lines and episodic characters that are not essential. This risks significantly spoiling the overall impression of an interesting and generally good series.
Lehane and his creative team spend a lot of time on character development, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For example, it’s as if we’re diving into the heads of the arsonists, studying their characters and seeing with our own eyes what caused their crimes. The interesting thing is that they are absolute opposites, because one of them is literally invisible, drowning in loneliness, and the other is a madman with an inflated ego. His erection is not caused by an attractive naked woman, but by completely different things.
The same thing happens with the investigators, in the sense that a lot of attention is also paid to their characters. Both had traumatic experiences with fire in the past, and this is important. Both are not doing well in their personal lives. Eventually, both will cross the point of no return, and God knows how it will all end
The trouble is that not all the local tossing and turning, psychological traumas, showdowns, and secrets (and there are a lot of them) are interesting to watch. If the storyline of the arsonist is really fascinating because all the longing of the world is gathered in the eyes of this hopeless poor man (and at the same time a murderer), then the arch of the heroine Jerney Smollett, who, after the recent “The Order” reappears as a tough policewoman, is unlikely to evoke anything but indifference.
At some point, the only one who deserves to be cheered for is Dave’s former partner and now — hard-drinking Ezra Esposito, played by the brilliant John Leguizamo. It is he who brings the necessary energy to the flimsy narrative, plus the actor does not need flashbacks or a dramatic background (which, like everyone else here, he has) to evoke audience sympathy.
But the main star who lights up the screen is Taron Edgerton, who can definitely put this performance on his record. Interestingly, this is the second series in the Welshman’s career with this title. Ntare Mwine also did a great job, and it’s a shame that his character didn’t get much screen time.
In general, there is no way to call Smoke a bad series. Presenting it as a procedural, albeit from a slightly different point of view than, for example, some Chicago Firefighters, the authors quickly abandon this idea and tell a story about ordinary people alongside the plot about working days. Not all of them can captivate, and annoying dips risk spoiling the overall impression. And the ambiguous ending will not satisfy everyone. But this show is still worth giving a chance. At the very least, it makes you think that the cashier who sells you chicken nuggets at the nearest fast food joint may not be who he seems.
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