Colin Farrell is a natural fit for his role as a laconic private investigator (PI) with a knack for sarcasm and navigating the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles in a vintage convertible. His performance is unbeatable in Sugar, an intriguing mystery series streaming on Apple TV+ from today. The first significant unveiling happens at the very beginning, and you’d be surprised to see Farrell effortlessly adapting to his character, John Sugar—a PI with an illustrious hairdo, an efficient right hook, and a past filled with ghosts.
Sugar makes his entrance à la James Bond/Indiana Jones at the end of his most recent successful mission—finding the kidnapped son of a Tokyo-based yakuza boss who had him flown in specifically for the job. When the perpetrator makes the mistake of grabbing a knife, Sugar, a man who finds violence as normal as breathing but prefers a gentle approach, disciplines him sternly.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles of City of God fame, Sugar is a terrific slice of classic noir. However, a plot twist towards the end of the eight-episode season may either heighten your enjoyment of the series or provoke you into hitting the stop button in contempt. Farrell puts in a grand effort to make it believable, but if it doesn’t land well, you might regret spending the past five hours on it.
The first two episodes promise a good time. Upon Sugar’s return to L.A., the narrative adds colour to its previously monochromatic style as he undertakes a new assignment. The case involves finding the missing granddaughter of a renowned Hollywood director, enacted by James Cromwell of L.A Confidential fame, a film that is among Sugar’s favourites.
The narrative unfurls into a harsh expedition into Los Angeles’s seedy underworld. Kirby, previously known as Kirby Howell-Baptiste, portrays the character of Sugar’s constantly irritated assistant, alongside Amy Ryan from Only Murders in the Building, appearing as a woman linked to the absent granddaughter.
It proceeds amiably – up to the major twist. However, that’s all a thing of the future. (The episode featuring this significant change won’t be released until the following month.) Currently, Sugar serves competently as a showcase window for Farrell’s performances, who shines as a conflicted anti-hero traversing through Los Angeles, contemplating about the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum. Both he and Sugar are splendid – up until chaos ensues.