TV Review | Full Circle - Future of the Force

“Full Circle follows the before and after of a botched kidnapping. Tying together a bunch of characters and revealing their long-held secrets, this is an unsettling and spellbinding story. Its stellar cast shines in this noir series.”

Steven Soderbergh’s latest series Full Circle premiered on Thursday with two episodes. The six-episode series will continue with two episodes weekly. The series finale is set for July 27 on Max. I watched all the episodes this week, so is this another success for Steven Soderbergh?

STORY

(L-R): Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes in the limited series “*Full Circle*.” Max/Warner Bros

Full Circle is a mystery drama that follows the before and after of a kidnapping in New York City. This is not your usual kidnapping story, it is so much more than that. The first episode introduces a bunch of characters who at first don’t appear to have any connection with one another. There is a rich family from New York whose kid is going to be the target of a kidnapping, a group of criminals, immigrants arriving from Guyana and a troubled investigator. But as the story unravels it all starts to make sense.

The kidnapping turns into a botched scheme leading to an investigation that uncovers secrets from years ago. These secrets and the kidnapping connect characters and tie everything together. New York becomes the scene of bad deeds and the falling apart of a family. Unsettling and spellbinding, this series bears the marks of a noir thriller. Its slow space creates a tensed atmosphere. The series really takes its time which makes it all the more exciting to see the mystery unfolds. It keeps you hooked on the story. I actually watched the six episodes in one go.

When all is said and done, the title Full Circle just feels perfect for this series. It is both a reference to the circle from the ritual and to how everything is tied together. Beyond the mystery and noir aspect of the series, there is also an underlying commentary on social class that as relevant as ever. Undoubtedly, it’s not a series that everyone will appreciate but if you are either a fan of noir thriller or Steven Soderbergh, I definitely recommend it.

CAST

(L-R): Sheyi Cole, Gerald Jones and Adia in the limited series “*Full Circle*.” Max/Warner Bros

Moreover, Steven Soderbergh has gathered a stellar cast for his series. It’s always great to see Claire Danes among the leads. She brings so much depth to her performance. Timophy Olyphant delivers an amazing performace as a troubled father. And Zazie Beetz brilliantly plays this troubled investigator. But the real surprises are Gerald Jones, Adia and Sheyi Cole. These three deliver heartfelt performances of immigrants coming to America dreaming of a better life but realizing things are not as they seem to be.

VISUALS AND SOUNDTRACK

Zazie Beets in the limited series “*Full Circle.*” Max/Warner Bros

Furthermore, the visuals of the series are not as good as the rest. It is quite disappointing on this part. In fact, it amateurish. It feels like Soderbergh just turned on the camera and filmed without doing any work on the cinematography. It would be alright for a micro-budget indie series except here it’s a Max project. It’s unfortunate because it’s the only weak point of the series. With the right cinematography and a better focus on filming the scenes, Full Circle would have been near perfect. Soderbergh is capable of some much better. But that’s actually the problem with this director, he can do amazing stuff or really mediocre one. However, Zack Ryan delivered a tensed and harrowing score that helps building the mysterious atmosphere.

VERDICT

Full Circle follows the before and after of a botched kidnapping. Tying together a bunch of characters and revealing their long-held secrets, this is an unsettling and spellbinding story. Its stellar cast shines in this noir series. However, the amateurish visuals fail to live up to the rest of this brilliant series.