When the eccentric head of a criminal organization initiates the kidnapping of a rich man's son, things don't go according to plan. Why did this boy have to be kidnapped and what is the connection between his family and that of the kidnappers? 'This complex thriller from Steven Soderbergh follows the aftermath of a failed kidnapping that uncovers old secrets in New York.' That is the description of the new HBO Max series Full Circle (2023). Last week, the first two episodes of this six-part miniseries appeared online. Full of curiosity I started the series and soon I could conclude that there is nothing wrong with the description. Because the story can certainly be called complex, very complex.
At times, the camera work almost makes you seasick
Savitri Mahabir (CCH Pounder, NCIS: New Orleans) runs a criminal group in New York. Murder and torture are normal days at work for her. From Kingston she has underprivileged young people come to America to put them to work for her organization. Without a passport, residence permit and money, they are forced to do her dirty jobs under the watchful eye of some confidants including her cousin Aked (Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us).
Full Circle (2023) is portrayed in a documentary-like style. The camera images are moving, which is not so disturbing in quiet scenes, but it is when there is more movement. At times the camera work almost makes you seasick and so far I have not yet discovered what added value this has. Also, the story is very unclear in the beginning. It actually takes the entire first episode to find out exactly what's going on.
Mahabir puts her plan into action with the quote “A boy for a boy”. It turns out that she has ordered the kidnapping of the (grand)son of the wealthy Browne family. Her 'helpers' start with a rather clumsy plan, but it soon turns out that they don't know what they are doing. The kidnapping is full of mistakes, is anything but well-prepared and even (almost) misses the mark on several occasions. The Browne family itself, including parents Sam (Claire Danes, Homeland) and Derek (Timothy Olyphant, Justified), also make some mistakes as they try to meet the kidnappers' demands.
Mel (Zazie Beets, Atlanta), an employee of the United States Postal Inspection Service, uncovers some crimes and tries to convince her boss to put her on the case. Unfortunately for her, he refuses, so she unofficially continues with her investigation. She traces Mahabir's organization but does not know what they are actually up to. Mel turns out to have quite a personality. Something that often gets her into trouble. Not only on a business level, but also privately. Not much is clear about her further role in the whole, but she does seem to be an important character.
Because of the confusing start of the first episode, I immediately watched the second to see if the story improved a bit. Fortunately, this made things clearer. It seems as if the makers wanted to cram too much detail and background information at the beginning of the series, so that the important storylines are snowed under. Whether all this information will have an impact later on is unclear to me at the moment. But for now, I find it distracting rather than improving the series.
The star-studded cast creates high expectations, but these are not really fulfilled in any area.
Even after watching two episodes, I'm still not sure what to think of Full Circle (2023). The star-studded cast creates high expectations, but these are not really fulfilled in any area. Still, the story has the potential to become an exciting mystery. The stupidity of the kidnappers, but also the Browne family, makes it credible. It is precisely the lack of slickness that ensures that you can really imagine that things like this happen and go wrong.
It is good that the series does not have many episodes because this story is not suitable for that. Personally, I would have preferred to watch all episodes online at once instead of two a week. Full Circle (2023) is more suitable as a binge-watch series in my opinion. It is therefore a pity that we have to wait a little longer until everything can be seen. I want to give Full Circle (2023) another chance, but I'm not very enthusiastic at the moment. That's why my final grade is just about sufficient for the time being.
I actually thought the camera movements had something to them :-) Tastes differ, luckily! I think it was a good move to put the second episode online at the same time as the pilot, so that it is clearer to the viewer where the story is going. In any case, I am very curious to see what happens next and what the connection is between the Browne family and Mahabir!
