It isn’t necessary to know anything about the true events that inspired Apple TV+’s Black Bird before watching the riveting limited series. And, oddly enough, you don’t even have to be a true-crime fanatic to get caught up in this absorbing, incredibly intense drama based on James Keene’s In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.
The six-episode limited series tells Jimmy Keene’s story, with Taron Egerton (Rocketman) delivering one of his finest performances as a cocky drug dealer who cons suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell) into believing he’s a sympathetic ear and potential friend. How Jimmy goes from being a cop’s kid who crosses the line, winds up in jail, and is approached by the FBI to make friends with the mentally disturbed Hall is a doozy of a tale and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The series sets up Jimmy as a decent enough guy, well-spoken, and a rising figure in the drug world. He’s a ladies’ man with charm to spare, but his intelligence and upbringing as the son of a popular cop don’t shield him from paying for his life of crime with a 10-year jail sentence.
Jimmy’s quick on his feet and able to adapt to most situations, and that – along with his natural likeability – makes him the perfect candidate to participate in a special top-secret operation. If Jimmy agrees to a transfer to a maximum-security penitentiary, and if he can worm his way into Hall’s confidence, then he has the possibility of getting time lopped off his sentence.
However, there are a couple of catches. If Jimmy makes the move, only a few people on the inside will be in on the secret and it could get quite dangerous. Also, FBI Agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi, The Deuce) has other prisoners in mind for this deal and Jimmy must pass a series of tests in order to be considered.
Jimmy’s reluctance fades away and he goes all-in after his father (played by the outstanding Ray Liotta in one of his last roles) has a stroke. As Jimmy studies Hall’s background and the murders he’s suspected of committing, we’re shown details of Hall’s life and of the investigation being conducted by Agent McCauley and Detective Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear, Shining Vale). We also learn that while Hall is the prime suspect, it’s been incredibly difficult to prove he’s involved in more than a dozen murders because he’s a serial confessor.
Law enforcement can’t pin anything on Hall because he always recants after he confesses. Additionally, his brother and others who know him think he’s a harmless buffoon who loves Civil War reenactments and is prone to making stuff up just for attention.
McCauley and Miller are certain they’ve got the right man but with Larry Hall in jail for just one murder – and with the possibility of an appeal setting him free – it’s mandatory they get him to talk to someone he believes he can trust. Jimmy Keene is, to be honest, their last hope.
Dennis Lehane, author of Shutter Island, Mystic River, and Gone, Baby, Gone, obviously knows how to tell an absorbing story. Lehane’s also an expert at character development and at laying down a story without any unnecessary embellishments or distractions. Here, Lehane takes James Keene’s memoir and finesses it into compelling television. Each episode is well-scripted, incredibly well-acted, and absolutely riveting.
Black Bird features a first-rate cast, with Egerton and Hauser providing the series with its most impactful moments. There’s not a false note delivered by either talented actor, and that’s especially true when Egerton displays the emotional impact of listening to the psychopathic Hall describe his crimes.
The title references a bird, but the limited series is really a cat-and-mouse game of Egerton’s Jimmy and Hauser’s Larry challenging each other, with the ultimate outcome determining the rest of their lives.
Black Bird premieres on July 8, 2022 on Apple TV+.
