The Penguin Avoids a Squawk Thanks to Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti (review)

Without reaching the level of Matt Reeves' Batman, this spin-off dedicated to the Dark Knight's enemy stands out with its frenetic story and two solid performances: Colin Farrell, a carnivore in the title role, and an astonishing Cristin Milioti.

When Matt Reeves took over the cinematic destiny of the Dark Knight, Warner/DC already had potential spin-offs in mind, most of which remained at the project stage. The Penguin is the first to emerge after the success of his Batman which opportunistically gave way to a gallery of super-villains whose potential remained to be explored. The insane performance of Colin Farrell in Penguin had completed the legitimacy of launching a series devoted to the nodding criminal. Two challenges remained: to succeed in a harsh gangster series and to fit into the continuity of a cinematographic universe and the logic of the franchise. This has gradually become a promise from the guardians of the temple: the second opus of The Batman should interconnect perfectly with the series.

In fact, The Penguin begins exactly at the same time as The Batman ends. In a Gotham in chaos after the Riddler's coup and the death of Carmine Falcone, which leaves a disorganized crime empire, Oswald Cobblepot (Farrell) will try to make the place he believes is rightfully his within the mafia. The film's setting is variable, whether in terms of narration or style. The score by Giacchino Jr., which sets its tempo to that of his father, contrasts in particular with a less aesthetic production, a less teeming Gotham… and all this sometimes gives the impression of being in front of a substitute for the Matrix film.

The hubris of the villain

Narratively, we will have to wait until the end of the series (five episodes were shown to the press) and the release of the next part with Robert Pattinson to have an overall view. But, in her note of intent, Lauren Lefranc, showrunner dubbed by Matt Reevesspecifies that despite all the “comic-book” trappings of the project, this was not her main interest. She explains that she did not want just another mafia fiction either. Her ambition? To delve into what fed the psychology and hubris of the character. Coming from the parent company of Sopranothe comparison was inevitable.

Excesses of violence

In fact, the inspiration is there. If The Batman happily summoned Fincher, The Penguin treads on the toes of Scorsese, David Chase and Terence Winter (even though the latter was supposed to develop a spin-off on the Gotham police in the same universe… before slamming the door due to creative differences). The bar is undoubtedly too high, the construction of the dialogues below. But Colin Farrell is well aware of the waters in which he is moving. Still unrecognizable under the prosthetics, he continues to dig, with unfeigned relish, into the rough edges of a volatile character. He is surprisingly affable and suddenly bloodthirsty, pitiful but terrifying… at the whim of a plot where the unpredictable is legion and where excesses of violence trigger regular jolts in the story.

Fueled by adrenaline rushes, the series moves (almost) relentlessly, focusing on the mirror portrait that emerges between Farrell's character and that of Cristin Milioti. In a handful of scenes, the actress establishes herself as the main antagonist. Based on a script that mischievously reinvents the Batman canon (looking in particular at Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale), the actress revealed in How I Met Your Mother reveals a new face and ends up playing on par with the Irish actor. We thought we were going to see the Farrell show: after having been in the shadow of Batman, he has to share the bill… We won't complain.

The Batman, on Max, since September 20, 2024