Black Rabbit

Black Rabbit is a gritty crime thriller starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law. Going into this my expectations was that this will be the next Ozark...I was wrong. It's nothing like Ozark. That doesn't mean this is bad, it's just not as good as Ozark was. The reason this is so good is the acting performances by Bateman and Law. Both were as good as ever. This probably could've been done in 6 episodes because there are times where it slows down to the point where they could've cut some time out. Other than that it's absolutely worth watching.

I usually don't take in tv shows even limited series but this peaked my interest. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it grabbed my attention and kept it there. I've never watched a series this fast but it was compelling, well thought out, brilliantly acted and most likely the best Netflix film or series I've seen. Usually I am turned off by their fare, however, Black Rabbit was well wroth my time.

I enjoyed the watch. It's a story about how family trauma can jack us up for life, with shame morphing to self-sabotage; all wrapped up into a tense crime thriller. I see poor reviews saying "the characters do stupid things that I wouldn't do", well ya ..they are all jacked up & then caught up in keeping it all together, such is what movies are made of.

For me, the characters actions jibe with how early trauma may have impacted them.

They create chaos that reflects their inner turmoil which seeks resolution, one way or another.

The greater ensemble of characters offers up more interesting characters with depth & we are brought into their world - a hot hipster NYC restaurant/bar which the plot line always threatening its demise. NYC is a character along with own diversity of players ie artsy hipsters v. Coney Island thugs.

Maybe we have to have some empathy with unlikable characters to enjoy the series? Maybe we have to be okay with both rooting for a character & subsequently not rooting for them & back again?

Black Rabbit is a masterclass in slow lingering suspense, a series that rewards patient viewers with a deeply satisfying and thought provoking experience. While some might be initially taken aback by its deliberate pacing and dialogue-heavy scenes, these elements are not a weakness but the very foundation of its strength. The show understands that true tension isn't always found in frantic action, but in the quiet, charged spaces between people, in the unspoken histories and simmering resentments.

Black Rabbit follows two brothers: Jake (Jude Law), who runs a restaurant and tries to keep a steady life, and Vince (Jason Bateman), freshly out of prison and back on the scene. Their reunion doesn't spark redemption but rather chaos, dragging everyone around them into a destructive spiral.

The show presents itself as a slow burner, but patience isn't rewarded. Unlike Ozark, which balanced tension with tight logic, Black Rabbit feels more like a messy patchwork. The narrative jumps between past and present in seemingly random bursts, sometimes to stall, sometimes to fill space, without much payoff. What could have been clever misdirection instead feels like disorientation.

The bigger issue is that many events lack internal logic. Plot turns appear designed less to develop characters and more to stretch the runtime or create the illusion of complexity. It seems the creators placed their bets on unpredictability alone, hoping confusion would equal intrigue. For me, it was more frustrating than engaging.

The cast is solid; Law and Bateman have presence, but even they can't fully disguise the structural emptiness. There are flashes of tension and style, but too often they collapse under scenes that meander without purpose.

In the end, Black Rabbit wants to be a moody, unpredictable character study, but it lands closer to a frustrating puzzle without a satisfying reward. Not terrible, but far from the gripping ride it promises.