On April 13, a new crime series, Florida Man, was released on Netflix. Against the backdrop of sunny Florida landscapes, very dark things are unfolding here. In the review below we tell you how interesting it is to watch them.
Pros: nice picture, revitalization of events closer to the end of the show, the presence of several exciting moments Cons: sluggish pace of the story, many unnecessary characters and plot lines and, as a result, dialogues and scenes, unclear comedy component, weak intrigue, predictability, lack of Ukrainian voice acting
Florida Man
Genre: crime drama, thriller, detective
Directors: Haifa al-Mansour, Miguel Arteta, Julian Farino, Kevin Bray, Clark Gregg
Starring Edgar Ramirez, Abbey Lee, Clark Gregg, Paul Schneider, Anthony LaPaglia
Netflix premiere
Year of release 2023
IMDb website
Policeman Mike Valentine found himself in Vegas and discovered an insane gambling addiction. This addiction cost Mike his career as a cop and his happy married life with his colleague Iris. Due to debts, he is forced to work for a Philadelphia crime boss with the unbearable name Moss Yankov.
This unpleasant guy decided to give his girlfriend Delly a beautiful white BMW, and she took it and ran away in this car somewhere to Florida. Valentine, on behalf of his boss, is forced to go there, to his home state, and find the fugitive. But romantic feelings for the beauty, the prospect of taking possession of a real treasure and some other circumstances confuse all the cards for the newly minted detective.
At the beginning of the year, viewers could watch criminal adventures in Oklahoma, in particular, in Tulsa, where the cool Sylvester Stallone confidently showed that there was plenty of gunpowder in the flasks. And now new showdowns are taking place in another American state. Its serene sunshine and friendly oceanfront bars contrast strikingly with the rugged Oklahoma ranches and cowboy joints.
However, “Florida Man” inherited a lot from the cute series with Sly. First of all, a criminal focus with a touch of humor designed to defuse the tense atmosphere. Plus the storyline of Yankov, who, like the villain in “The King of Tulsa,” seeks to emerge from the shadow of his authoritative father. And also, of course, the English actor Richie Coster, who appeared here not for long.
The project really lacks a well-tailored story, where all the important elements would become useful and work harmoniously.
Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films (he can be seen in the recent “Eire”) offers a plot overloaded with unnecessary characters and secondary lines. Therefore, binge-watching turns into a real test, and few people will like such a test of patience.
The writers seem to have used the components necessary for a high-quality crime-comedy story. There are mysteries, an ambiguous hero with a lot of problems to solve, a bitter scoundrel, an unpredictable femme fatale in between, and even a treasure hunt. Or, rather, an imitation of it. That is, there is room to maneuver, and you can also play neo-noir.
The trouble is that we see a lot of unnecessary things in the plot. Numerous branches are difficult to be nearby.
The pace of the story jumps around a lot, and its bloat is simply catastrophically destructive. The sluggishness of the plot makes the episodes feel endlessly long, almost like Australian supermodel Abbey Lee’s legs. This is purely content for content’s sake.
The line of the character Clark Gregg, whom the mass audience knows thanks to the role of Phil Coulson in the Marvel universe, seems especially unsuccessful and unnecessary. His deputy sheriff Catcher looks so ridiculous that it’s not a sin to use the buzzword “cringe”. Gregg himself, by the way, became the director of some of the episodes.
Flashbacks, the oldest of which go back to the fateful year 1715, do not add dynamics. At this moment, it may seem as if they are about to start talking about the skill and traditions of Lviv brewers. But no, unfortunately, or fortunately, this does not happen and the feeling quickly disappears.
It becomes more interesting only when, with grief in half, the story manages to limp to the climax.
The last two episodes (or even one and a half) add at least a little intrigue and thereby revive viewer involvement. In all other respects, “Florida Man” is a blatant mediocrity. So when the long-suffering Catcher, on his way out of state, gives his middle finger to a sign that reads “We hope you enjoyed your stay in Florida!”, there’s a chance that your heart will feel a little warmer.
Conclusion:
“The Man from Florida” did not promise anything outstanding even from the trailer. But in reality, everything turns out to be much worse, since this show has practically nothing to offer
