Let's start with the good news. This quirky and idiosyncratic mini-series succeeds based on the so-called "engagement factor" that is, after a few hours, you become so enmeshed with the characters and their unpredictable behavior that you find yourself drawn into the production, a little at a time, and, then, like a lobster in a trap, you cannot let go until you see it to the end.The scenery is stunning and Preppers in particular looking for safe spot to survive the coming End of Days should definitely consider New Zealand as a destination of choice. The not-so-good news? Well, the aforementioned "engagement factor" is achieved at the expense of anything resembling a normal plot arc. In fact, this reviewer would opine that Campion and her team used that seeming weakness as a hidden strength, and basically threw the rulebook for a standard police procedural (I am thinking here Broadchurch, which is pitch-perfect and virtually lacking in flaws) out the window or, in this case, into the lake. In fact, the whole production plays more like a horror film than a mystery, with escalating, ongoing, bizarre behaviors from the lead players all leading, of course, to the Big Reveal. This comment on bizarre behaviors include, by the way, Elizabeth Moss whose character "Robin" is so odd and unpredictable that she teeters right on the edge of losing empathy with the audience, which, generally, is not a good thing. Always a delight to see Holly Hunter in front of the camera, one of our all-time faves, and well-reviewed in this database for her work in SAVING GRACE. Bottom line, and this is said without hesitation, Peter Mullan owns this production. It's his. You perhaps should need to email him for permission to watch it! His character is so charismatic, so wonderfully etched, that even when he is not in front of the camera, you are subliminally looking forward to his next 'on screen'. (Very old debate among cinephiles as to which "accent" makes for the best villains? Lately the nod has been going to the South African because it delivers bad news is a very impersonal polite, clipped, monotone. However, Mullan's performance here reminds me that I have always found Scottish street Brogue - not the Mel Gibson aristocratic stuff -- creepiest. Imagine your murderer telling you off just seconds before he actually does the deed -- AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE JUST SAID!? There is one scene in particular where, to make a point to a roomful of thugs who look like, on a whim, they could kill your whole family and then go out for pizza, he rummages around for a china cup that was the favorite of his long-dead mother. I won't offer a spoiler, but the scene is unforgettable).
Review of Top of the Lake
