Those lucky enough to have our health, yet too distant from medicine or government to do much except wait, were badly in need of distraction.
With its slick visuals, dazzling action scenes and charismatic star, Omar Sy, it’s a French-language crime drama that reminds me of the stylish, heart-pounding heist thrillers, like Ocean’s Eleven and Le Cercle Rouge, that I devoured during lockdown.
When we meet him, he has spent something like 25 years amassing the necessary extralegal skills and tools to avenge the death of his beloved father Babakar .
Assane’s outlaw existence doesn’t leave much room for a life outside of work, but creators George Kay and François Uzan find believable ways to include relationships deep enough to reveal their hero’s fundamental goodness.
Although Kay and Uzan don’t dwell on politics or identity, there’s resonance in the implications they seed throughout the story: about how the Pellegrinis of the world exploit the Diops, about how easy it is for a Black man to disguise himself as a low-wage worker in a society where so many barely look at such people.
A story line in the first half of the season suffered from the ridiculously broad characterization of a disgraced female reporter, who seemed to have been beamed in from a totally different kind of show.
Though his talents certainly aren’t limited to this kind of role, 43-year-old Sy has emerged as one of the most versatile male action stars of his cohort—one who radiates more warmth than Tom Hardy, more intellect than Ryan Reynolds, more physical strength than Tom Hiddleston or Anthony Mackie, more sophistication than John Cena or Jason Momoa or, really, any of the Chrises.