Let's cut to the chase. If you liked those old 1970s government conspiracy movies like "Three Days of the Condor," "The Conversation," and "The Parallax View," you will also like AMC's new Sunday night drama, "Rubicon."
"Rubicon" stars James Badge Dale (Leckie from "The Pacific") as Will Travers, an analyst at a New York City think tank who stumbles upon secret messages being sent through crossword puzzles in major newspapers. He shows the coded messages to his boss and best friend (Peter Gerety), who shows them to his boss, setting off a gruesome chain of events.
Badge is terrific as the loner Will, who becomes consumed with unraveling all the small mysteries and coded messages left behind after an unfortunate "accident," and making a lot of people in high places very uncomfortable along the way.
Meanwhile, there's the widow (Miranda Richardson) of a mysterious man who shoots himself after seeing a four-leaf clover attached to his morning newspaper in the opening scene of the pilot. She ends up doing her own detective work to find out what her husband was hiding from her, likewise upsetting those who would rather she let eternally sleeping husbands lie.
These mysteries are presumably all connected, and eventually we'll learn how. But the pace is quite slow, although it probably only feels that way because modern movies and TV shows have turned us into adrenaline junkies always waiting for the next car chase, explosion, or shootout. Yet the old school feel of this thriller -- the lone man being followed down a dark deserted street, the abandoned parking garages, the footsteps in the hallway -- give "Rubicon" a realistically sinister atmosphere.
Another reason "Rubicon" has such a 1970s vibe is the liberal use of nearly-antiquated devices (at least by TV and movie standards) such as books and newspapers. You don't see the characters whip out iPhones or iPads to read about current events or to Google a bit of trivia. They carry actual newspapers around and reach for well-worn volumes off of crowded bookshelves. It's just one of the elements that makes you feel as though the story could very easily be picked up and set back down in 1975 with Robert Redford in the lead.
But James Badge Dale is just fine with me, thank you very much.
The "Rubicon" pilot will air tonight on AMC at 8pm and then a second new episode will air at 9pm. Don't forget to DVR both of them.
Brooke Cain isn't always proud of the number of hours she logs in front of the TV, but her loss of brain cells can be your gain. From reality shows to sitcoms to the more serious stuff, Brooke keeps her DVR smoking so that she can help keep you in the know. Brooke also tweets for Happiness is a Warm TV (you can follow
Comments
Like Rubicon so far
Sun, 08/01/2010 - 19:17 — wufwuf92I have only seen the pilot and that was a few weeks ago, but I really liked it. I'm looking forward to watching the second episode tonight. I guess I should probably rewatch the first one since it's been awhile. I'm glad you mentioned "Conversation" (with Gene Hackman) because that is what it reminded me of too. I remember seeing that a long time ago and thinking it was boring and then I rewatched it a few years ago and realized how wrong I was. It's such a smart movie and one of my favorites now, and this show definitely reminded me a little of that. Too bad they couldn't get Gene Hackman to play the superstitious spy boss (ha ha) for that first episode.
I think Rubicon is good, too
Mon, 08/02/2010 - 11:40 — brookecain (author)I think "Rubicon" is a good show, but the pace is definitely slower than the shows we've become accustomed to. I hope it does well. I really love James Badge Dale -- the more I see of him the more I like him. He was also very good in "The Pacific." I had forgotten until I read something this weekend that he also played Chase on "24" -- I didn't like him much on that show, but to me, the writing on that show had a way of making all the actors seem like soap opera actors (the fabulous Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart excepted).