I haven't seen the original 1990 BBC series that this is a remake of,
but have heard good things about it. That said, it is difficult for me
to imagine it being better than this Netflix production helmed by David
Fincher ("Fight Club," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The
Social Network," and the remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"),
James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), and others. It is taut, fascinating
from Moment One, and presents an incredible look at the dark underbelly
of politics.As has been mentioned by critics, much of the credit for this series' success can be laid at the feet of the actors. There are almost certain Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the future for Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Kate Mara, and a few of the supporting players like Corey Stoll and Sandrine Holt may get noticed as well. Spacey is a force majeure in this series. He plays the Majority Whip of Congress, and in the opener gets shafted by the President in his bid to become Secretary of State. Bahd idea. He vows vengeance, and the rest of the series (so far...I'm on episode 7 of 13) is pretty much about how he gets it. He's the kind of psychopath that no one can tell is a psychopath, and it's chilling to see how efficiently, soullessly and cold-bloodedly he does the things he does. He is incredibly well-matched in this by his wife, played by Robin Wright, as a beautiful woman who is almost as calculating as he is, who married him originally because he promised her a life that would never be boring, and who is with him pretty much every step of the way in his machinations. Kate Mara plays a young, ambitious reporter whom Spacey's character lures into his web, and into his bed. To give you an idea of the dynamics between Spacey and his wife Claire (Wright), she knows right from the beginning that he's having a fling with her, just as he knows about her occasional lovers, and both are fine with this, because it doesn't effect the relationship they have with each other in any way. One of the most effective techniques in the series is found in the moments when Kevin Spacey turns and speaks directly to the camera -- to us, in the audience. It is used for remarkable effect at times, such as the moment when Congressman Frank Underwood (Spacey) is addressing a congregation in a church, from the pulpit, hoping to sway them not to make a big political mess out of one of his fuckups. He starts talking about his father, and how close he was to him, and how angry he was at God for taking him. Then, in the middle of this speech, he turns to us in the audience and tells us the real story, which is that he hardly knew the guy, and didn't miss him at all when he died. Then the "aside" ends and he turns back to the congregation and continues his emotional propaganda sermon...which works, of course. The "aside" didn't really happen for them, but it *does* for us, and lets us into the workings of his intelligent and charming -- but psychopathically charming -- mind. It's a very good series. Kudos to Netflix for taking a chance and producing it, and for releasing it all at once, so that binge TV addicts like myself can watch it straight through, without having to wait a week between episodes.
