Black Rabbit: Cain and Abel Have Nothing on These Two

a Tag Team Review written and produced by Alex and Sherin

How far would you go to help your family? Black Rabbit asks the question, and it has a helluva time answering it.

The Brothers:

Alex: Jake Friedken (Jude Law) is living the New York dream: His restaurant and VIP lounge, Black Rabbit, is on the verge of becoming the hottest spot in the city. He’s charismatic and sleek, always styled in suits and well put together. But when his brother Vince (Jason Bateman) comes back to town, old wounds and new threats emerge. Vince is deep in debt to some powerful men, he’s washed up and volatile, but he’s also vulnerable—and he’s looking for a way out.

The brothers’ lives quickly become tangled again in a chaotic whirlwind of debt, drugs, and debauchery. Like a magnifying glass under the sun, Vince’s problems set Jake’s world ablaze and bring some buried skeletons and disturbing revelations to light. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the brothers—the stark differences in their life choices and how they’d gotten to this point—while also how strikingly similar they are when backed into a corner. And the sibling dynamic works well; while you may not relate to their extraordinary (and highly criminal) circumstances, there are moments where you might see your own sibling dynamics reflected back at you.

Sherin: When one of the characters, Tony (Robin de Jesus), says Jake is an addict and his addiction is his brother, it’s a red flag waving. The writers are telling us: as bad as things are by episode 3, we ain’t seen nothing yet. If there was ever a slow-burning Cain and Abel dynamic, it’s Vince and Jake. Their Black Rabbit-hole is a biblical case of mutually assured self-destruction, and the toxicity is high.

Jason Bateman as Vince, sitting at a poker table in front of a crowd of spectators in Black Rabbit

Alex: Law plays the suave but kinda sleazy suit so well (and his choices are as questionable as his American accent, sorry Jude). Jake is used to making things go away, while his protectiveness over his brother feels so real it hurts, and Law artfully brings layers to him. It’s nigh-impossible not to be drawn in. And Bateman steals the show with this very different against-type character; it really shows his range as an actor. But also, Bateman has such a kind, gentle charm to him, which means Vince’s explosive personality still has a certain thrall. You want to believe in the two brothers, all while wondering how the hell they’re going to get themselves out of such a mess.

Sherin: For restaurateurs, the Friedken Brothers are beyond distasteful. I didn’t see the gentle charm in Bateman’s Vince; he made my skin crawl from his festering desperation and willingness to engage in the worst kinds of skullduggery. Vince reminds me of Danny Glover’s role in To Sleep with Anger; the minute he walks through the door, any and everything goes wrong. This man is living, breathing poison.

Law’s Jake wants us to believe he’s the opposite of Vince, but he’s really his flip side. A man who’ll use anything and almost anyone to get his desired result—no matter what it costs or who it burns—and yet, he’s a family man. This is especially true for the women in Black Rabbit. Jake is consistently hugging them with one arm, building them up, while the other hand makes them collateral damage. It’s hard to watch, but that’s because the leading actors execute the lies and manipulations so well.

sidebar: Law’s accent isn’t that bad, Alex! I’m gigging. It’s just not a New York “type thing.”

Cleopatra Coleman as Estelle, Sope Dirisu as Wes standing arm-in-arm in Black Rabbit

Robin de Jesus as Tony, Amaka Okafor as Roxie in Black Rabbit

The Other Players:

Alex: My standout supporting characters include Troy Kotsur as the fearsome local bookie Joe Mancuso, who has it in for the Friedken brothers and will stop at nothing to settle old history. Kotsur brings such gravitas and menace to the screen; through Mancuso, you see a different type of family dynamic as he protects what’s his with an iron fist. Also, Odessa Young as Gen, Vince’s estranged daughter, who expects nothing from her father and has made her own way in the city. Along with Amaka Okafor as Roxie, an ambitious New York chef whose talent Jake believes in from the very beginning, but she is conflicted over the way things are run behind the scenes. Okafor is so graceful and poised. And Hettienne Park as Detective Ellen Seung, whose quest for the truth makes her a fierce yet considerate thorn in the brothers’ side.

Sherin: I’m co-signing your picks. Kotsur proves why he’s an Academy Award winner (CODA) every time he steps on a set. Here, he’s cold-blooded and committed. Okafor’s Roxie made me want to liberate her from this mess. She’s so earnest and such a protector—because of those things, her loyalty is a liability. I also liked the softness and questionable desires of Cleopatra Coleman as Estelle, and the dubious allegiances from Morgan Spector (Gilded Age) as Campbell. I also have to say, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù never fails. His bombastic character, Wes, is Kanye West-coded, and he disappears into it.

Troy Kotsur as Mancuso sitting at a desk in Black Rabbit

Jason Bateman as Vince, Odessa Young as Gen sitting at a restaurant table together drinking wine in Black Rabbit

Overall Thoughts:

Alex: This is the perfect complement to Ozark; Black Rabbit has a similar gritty undertone to it, while Bateman explores new ground and dynamics. The pulsating score and soundtrack capture the nightlife of the show’s New York backdrop, where the possibilities seem endless, but deadly things move in the shadows. It sets your teeth on edge. There are a lot of characters and storylines that swing in and out of this eight-episode run, but its connections run deeper than you know; some plotlines and arcs don’t always pull you in, but there’s always something that keeps you coming back.

Sherin: I have to echo your sentiment again; the score and needle drops turned up the volume all the way through. As for my last looks, I’m not a crime drama person. That tells me Black Rabbit must be a very good one—because I wanted to run away from it at least once per episode. These people are wild, and I’m quite sure, clinically insane. Because of that, I think this series will hit. I don’t know if it’ll reach Baby Reindeer levels—it’s not as high concept—but Black Rabbit is magnetically perverse.

Alex: Black Rabbit is compulsive viewing—it’s tenacious, it’s violent and corrupt, and ruthless. It tests the limits of what an unbreakable bond truly means, giving us a brotherly dynamic that constantly teeters on the edge of the knife. You’ll never know which one of them will cut first.