Who knew that the Batman universe could be given a Sopranos TV treatment?
That’s just what director Craig Zobel and screenwriter Lauren LeFranc have done in HBO’s latest drama based on the DC Comics character, The Penguin.
Star Colin Farrell is completely unrecognisable, and really rather spectacular, in the title role.
Forget about superhero action and stunts. This Gotham City is a dark noir metropolis, which The Riddler has nearly destroyed.
But Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell reprising his role from the 2022 Batman feature) is hungry for power, facing off against Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), son of crime boss Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong), he lets nothing stand in his way.
Manoeuvering between rival crime gangs, Calzones and Maroni, Oswald acts as double agent with a tenuous, duplicitous relationship with Sofia Calzone (Cristin Milioti). But Sofia is fierce, deeply mistrustful and a match for any of Gotham’s worst adversaries.
Aiding and abetting Oswald is a stuttering young street delinquent Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) whom Oswald threatens if he doesn’t become his driver.
“I can help you. I got ambition…. I need a chance,” Victor pleads for his life.
Also featuring are Michael Kelly as crime underboss Johnny Vitti, Clancy Brown as jailed crime boss Salvatore Maroni and the enigmatic Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni.
There’s a lot to unpack here: Colin Farrell’s captivating Tony Soprano / De Niro-like performance, the unexpected and mutual friendship he has with Victor or Sofia’s sinister grasp for power.
There is also a deeper side to Oswald in scenes with his fragile but demanding mother (Deirdre O’Connell), whom he seems incapable of ever pleasing. This helps us to understand his motivations and flaws, if not necessarily becoming forgiving of them.
“This city’s meant to be yours, sweetheart. What are you going to do to get it?” she asks.
Director Craig Zobel also surprises with some lengthy dialogue scenes not usually characteristic in the comic book genre. One in the first 10 minutes of the series comprises around 7 minutes in total.
Yet The Penguin rises above its comic origins. Mafia-like violence would not be out of place in a Scorsese film. The production design by Kalina Ivanov fuses New York’s underbelly as Gotham with modern demands, such as iphones, without jarring. Dark humour is sprinkled through the soundtrack -wait for Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5….
But this is Colin Farrell’s triumph, with his character, in almost every scene, so memorably protruding through the body suit and prosthetics. He will almost make you feel sympathetic to his cause. Almost.
The Penguin screens Friday September 20 on Binge then Mondays from Sept 30/ 1:30pm Monday Sept 23 on Showcase.
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