A clever story with a good climax. And excellent acting and direction. The series has a near-constant tension and hectic pace. I sometimes found it difficult to understand why people repeatedly make such stupid and life-destroying choices, with the outcome already known to any reasonable person. This sometimes makes it a bit predictable. But the final episodes change that, and we get a thrilling ending.
Black Rabbit is one of those series that immediately drew me in because of the characters. Jude Law and Jason Bateman as two brothers reuniting after years—that should be interesting. And it is, though not always in the way I'd hoped.
The series is set in New York, largely around Jake Friedken's exclusive restaurant and club, Black Rabbit. His brother, Vince, the perennial failure with a history of addiction, suddenly reappears. From that moment on, their carefully constructed world goes off the rails. What begins as a family reunion slowly descends into a dark war of guilt, resentment, and crime.
What makes Black Rabbit so powerful is the atmosphere. The images of New York at night, the sound of glasses clinking in the club, the ominous silence in the kitchen—it all feels intense and real.
Jude Law is fantastic as the charming but cold Jake. Jason Bateman is rawer than I've ever seen him, though his character sometimes lacks nuance. Their chemistry elevates the show: two brothers who hate and love each other, constantly testing who is most broken.
Yet, I found myself feeling a bit disconnected halfway through. The series has a lot going for it—crime, family drama, addiction, success—and as a result, it sometimes loses focus. Some episodes lean too heavily on style and suspense, while the emotion fades somewhat into the background. I wanted to understand more about their childhoods, what truly unites or breaks them.
But despite that, Black Rabbit remains captivating. There's an underlying menace that keeps you glued to the screen. An intense series that shows how brotherhood can be as devastating as it is unifying.