Spider - Noir review

 For Nicolas Cage to commit to his first television role (apart from appearances as himself or a 1981 pilot) it had to be something special and Spider- Noir definitely is. The phrase `comic book coming to life` is often bandied about but there aren’t many instances where this seems a appropriate a description as with this series. Set in the Thirties, it side steps realism taking inspiration from the printed page and pulp novels to present an absorbing world and a fresh take on familiar material. Even if you’ve seen the Spiderman films, you haven’t seen anything quite like this.

 You can choose to watch in “true black and white” or in what is described as “True Hue Full Colour”. There’s even some guidance as to which format is best for which episodes courtesy of the online fan site Marvel Mania. I’m sure the studio wants us to watch the whole thing twice but it actually works out interestingly to switch back and forth. So, in the reviews below, I’ve noted which format I watched in. In the end, I’d say the black and white edges it making the material look so stylish and adding to its’ strangeness.

Spider Spoilers after the break...

Episode One: Step Into My Office (black and white)
If Spider- Noir sounds like the coolest idea for the ever expanding Spiderverse then the realisation surpasses expectations. The opening episode fulfils the series’ title admirably being a noir detective show with superhero ingredients. Its surprising just how well they work evoking long lost comic strips and black and white films from another era. The production values for this opener use lighting and shadows to paint a picture of the bustling city and it’s underworld. Yes, there are plenty of expected tropes- the cynical hard bitten `tec, the sassy secretary, the bulky snarling crime boss, the glamorous nightclub singer… actually there are a lot of cliches and yet somehow they all prove their worth and it feels fresh.  

In a very neatly encapsulated introduction delivered in the sort of world weary tone only Nicholas Cage can, we learn that private investigator Ben Reilly gave up his life as New York’s’ sole vigilante hero `The Spider` many years ago after the tragic murder of his fiancée. Now he scrapes a living (though enough for a natty suit) taking on cases involving cheating spouses and disappearing people. Yet the case that starts off with finding a criminal leads him to the company of dangerous individuals some of whom appear to have superpowers. We see a man able to become a walking inferno while a later opponent can turn into sand. Its interesting that because of his past, Reilly shies away from these encounters trying to give up the case but in that old tradition he keeps getting drawn in.

Nicolas Cage is, of course, Nicolas Cage a byword for the quirky and unusual which suits this role really well. While he may seem a little old to be indulging in superheroics that’s the point- Cage emphasises how difficult Reilly finds the physical side of the job now, almost collapsing after clambering up several flights of steps. Every subsequent fight in the series will be accompanied by his groans of exhaustion or pain. The banter with secretary Janet, played with sass by Karen Rodriguez is a highlight. As is Brendan Gleeson’s scowling crime boss, dubbed Silvermane, who uses intimidation backed up with sudden acts of violence.

If the narrative has yet to fly into wholly original territory this opener definitely sets out the stall with precision. Every frame could be a poster with the amalgamation of visual effects and staging spot on. I especially liked the sequence near the end as Reilly and Flint Marko battle it out on multi layered scaffolding with the nighttime lights and the river beyond. The episode also boasts Li Jun Li performing `Dream A Little Dream of Me` which is an excellent rendition. A great start for a show that seems familiar yet also different all at once.

 

Episode Two- Tread Lightly (black and white)
It’s quite easy to skip some title sequences but others are works of art that deserve to be seen each episode. Spider Noir has the most exquisite sequence involving fractured images, multiple reflections, images of the city, close ups all melded together by the song `Saving Grace` performed by a singer / songwriter called Kirby. The tune would not be out of place at the start of a James Bond movie. The effect is to really draw the viewer into this world which in the second episode becomes a more violent place to live. Reily’s investigations lead him to a lot of trouble and when Janet is also threatened, he realises he must do an about turn and revive his superhero alter ego.

In the first episode flashbacks we saw him burying the suitcase contained his heroic accoutrements inside a wall so amusingly in this episode he has to get them back. Only the apartment is now owned by someone else and they are less than convinced by his plumbing act. “I don’t think he was a plumber” concludes the hapless husband as the couple stare at half a demolished wall!

As with the first episode, the series is happy to wallow in some of the expected tropes of the noir genre and thus Reilly has to spend time hiding in a wardrobe. More exciting is when he finally dons his costume to face Silvemane after fighting off his henchmen. Christopher Chen’s script in this episode is sharp setting up some excellent on screen chemistry in such scenes as Reilly trying to get information from Cat or when he confronts Silvermane face to face. Best of all is the chatty to and fro between the crime boss and his right hand man Winston. The latter is played with a casual confidence by none other than Lukas Haas. Though he was worked solidly over the decades, I hadn’t seen him for a long time, probably since Inception.

I’m glad the series got the main character in costume so quickly and there are some nods to better known iterations of Spiderman in some of his fighting techniques. Despite the body count, the series does have a lighter tone at times and is confident that some laughs won’t spoil the atmosphere, an approach exemplified by this episode’s’ two rather thick henchmen tasked with taking Reilly back to Silvermane.

Episode Three – Double Cross (black and white)
The cat and mouse game of who the informant (aka “rat”) is in Silverman’s gang forms the backbone of an episode which settles into its groove with fresh takes on such familiar matters. From the cheeky, resourceful newsboy to the overly confident right hand man from marked currency to a failed attempt to get out of town, it’s all here. Yet there’s a contemporary resonance to in the plot wherein Joe photographs a police raid in which they are held off by our two other superpowered characters only for his story to be given a wholly different emphasis when printed. The stylised look of the series remains impressive though does work best at night; daytime scenes tend to lack the melodramatic touch.

Silvermane turns up unexpectedly to offer Reilly a case to find out who betrayed him and while the trail appears to lead to Cat, Reilly manages to frame Winston using notes he stole during a daring nighttime break in at Slvermane’s house. This feels more like a caper from a different era but provides the episode’s most tense sequence.

This is a more dialogue driven episode enabling some strong performances from Nicolas Cage whose Reilly’s laconic approach to the mysteries is hugely enjoyable, Lamorne Morris as Joe who seems to represent the honesty and integrity missing elsewhere. And whenever the camera focuses on Brendan Gleeson he seems to be lit to maximise his menace.  

Episode Four – A Mistake I’ll Never Make Again (colour)
Yes, this is the first episode I chose to watch in True Hue Colour as and the difference is striking. Back in the Seventies as more and more people bought colour televisions the vividness of the picture was something they really noticed. This treatment seems designed to replicate that in that the colours seem bolder and richer than those you would normally expect unless you went crazy with the Contrast. Its surprising to see just how much colour there is in a show that also excels in monochrome- notably strong reds and shades thereof which somehow give it an operatic vibe.

It’s a great episode for Nicolas Cage whose portrayal of Reilly is constantly underscored by tics or expressions. He imbues the world weary detective to a tee. We see Reilly digging deeper int o the mystery for what initially seems a slower paced narrative. He tracks down the taciturn Lincoln thought it’s Janet who manages to get through to him by way of a game of cards. The relationship between Reilly and Cat (is she called Cat as an allusion to Catwoman?) heats up as she also starts to suspect he is more than an ordinary detective.

Episode Five- Betrayal (colour)
There’s a lot of Nicolas Cage in this episode by which I mean the quirkier side. He sings, he pretends to be mentally ill, he does sarcasm and surprise as only he can.  An attempt at a covert break in becomes something more awkward and amusing. It’s a beanfeast for those who appreciate his less conventional style. We also get to see a de-aged Cage in flashbacks to the World War 1 during which we see just how all these super powers originated. And it’s a fairly horrific tale, suitably graphic in depiction with patients attached to drip feeds that are themselves attached to some larger insects. We even see the creature that bit Reilly. This thing is real nightmare fuel, a half man, half spider dredged from some dark comic somewhere. We also learn of a Doctor Faber who fifteen years later is trying to find a cure for those who survived that but seems to be making it worse.

If it seems a little implausible that Reilly and Cat would decide to elope (and to be fair the characters seem surprised by it themselves) when it’s also clear that Cat still has feelings for Marko though her action at the end is still somewhat unexpected.  

 

Episode Six- Nightmare on a Gurney (black and white)
If you think the title is eccentric, then wait till you see the episode! If the flashback horrors in episode five were glimpsed fairly briefly, there is some more sustained material in this episode. I suppose if you have an aversion to spiders this isn’t the sort of series you’ll be watching anyway but there’s definitely an eight legged shocker contained in an extraordinary sequence. After he’s been captured by Faber and Ogden, Reilly is subjected to a series of biological procedures. After basic blood tests reveal nothing, Faber decides to go full surgeon leading to our main character having a disturbing hallucinatory episode that will guarantee all but the most squeamish look away. Director Alethea Jones allows her cameras to creep around the retro set which could easily be Frankenstein’s laboratory. She ensures odd angles and distorted views help sell Reilly’s disorientation.

It transpires that Ogden is Faber’s son but was also mutated only instead of super powers he is ageing rapidly. He looks twice his actual thirty six years and though Faber’s experiment actually works and reverses the effects she and her son fall victim to Silvermane and co who learned of the lab courtesy of a Daily Bugle story. I hesitate to use the phrase `far fetched` in the context of a series like this but the rapid regeneration of Ogden, which also provides him with a brand new suit, just seems a little too unlikely to ring true. The episode doesn’t allow quite enough time for the ramifications to percolate and both characters are dead within minutes while Reilly has escaped. Which of course reveals the episode to be something of a side quest but a very chilling one indeed.

 

Episode Seven- Nobody’s Hero (colour)
More peak Nicolas Cage as Reilly drinks himself silly over Cat’s betrayal in an episode that goes deeper into some of the characters though still finds the space for a gymnastic fight in the bar. While superhero angst is par for the course, its rare to find such an unwilling hero never mind one who winces and scowls at the physicality of it all. Cage is terrific in this episode, taking Reilly through several developments till he ends up trying to do the right thing yet still running into practical problems. His musings at the bar while downing drinks is emblematic of how the role can be deeper than we might imagine it will be.

It’s a good episode too for Lamorne Morris, who’s Robbie is a practical, organised opposite to Reilly and comes good here. He manages to give Faber’s antidote to Lonnie in a tense sequence. As with the previous episode it is a medical marvel managing to enable the super strong man to shed his literal thick skin in seconds. The change though comes in an impressive acting shift from Abraham Poppola whose portrayal is able to lose the vicious anger and become a calm presence. It’s a ray of optimism in what is often a very dark story.

The series’ length does mean that Silvemane’s early menace has evolved into something more characterful with Brendan Gleeson providing some surprising comedic notes. However the character’s motivations- challenged in the narrative here- have become vaguer. It might be just me but Mayoral campaigns seem to be used rather too often as baggage for dramas but a series like this doesn’t really have time to paint them with anything other than primary colours. Hence the viewer is perhaps not as strongly invested in the mayoral result as in other character stories.

 

Episode Eight – The Man in the Mask (black and white)
You can tell from the opening minutes that this is going to be a memorable finale. Silvermane is indulging in some rare self analysis with Cat his uninterested audience. Director Greg Yaitaines shoots what is ostensibly an ordinary conversation in a manner that gives it tension and strangeness. The camara alternates between distance and closeness; objects in the bar are foregrounded, the lighting, even in the black and white version, resembles the strength of stage spotlights. Its appropriate because much of the episode resembles a play. We stay in this room for over half the duration of the run time as all the principle characters end up here, the connections between them simmering under the surface.

All the plots dovetail successfully into this scenario with the direction managing to pick up on  everything. A surprisingly powerful presence here is Leyden who has been presented very much as the subordinate superpowered lackey but now he is starting to get notions above his station. The character’s likeness of the theatre plays into his grandstanding when the fighting begins. Director Andrew Lewis Caldwell is able to turn the character into a darker, more dangerous foe than ever.

The showdown is shot with comic book precision, as is a parallel confrontation between Silvermane and Cat in a hall of mirrors. This latter sequence plays with reflection and duplication especially well in the black and white version. Up top, Leyden gets his big moment and the fight goes to the wire as does the fate of the final syringe of antidote. It’s exciting and superbly staged. While undoubtedly some of the action is similar to the more contemporary Spiderman movies, the Thirties setting seems to suit the story so well.

 Spider- Noir is one of those shows that will probably improve with a second watch and proves that an old story can always be rejuvenated into something that seems brand new. Whether in black and white or colour, it dazzles!