The fifth episode, “The Secret Fate Of All Life”, of HBO’s eight-part cop drama “True Detective” aired this past Sunday and I’ve just now caught up with the first five hours of what is an excellent mini-series.
Set in 2012, the series begins as one-time partners in Louisiana’s Criminal Investigation Division, Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) and Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughy), recount a high-profile and macabre murder investigation from 17 years ago. As they tell their story, the scene shifts back in time to 1995. The reason for the questioning comes about as a new case resembles the 17-year-old murder, a case thought to be solved, opening new possibilities and an endless amount of questions, none more pressing than to wonder “Who can you really believe?”
Written by novelist Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre), the series is utterly compelling, largely as a result of the wealth of information you want to obtain as a viewer, and yet, how much is held back. Add to that some of the best writing I’ve seen on film or television in some time, coupled with standout performances (McConaughey and Harrelson, of course, but Michelle Monaghan is bringing it as well) at every turn and you have something that’s easily considered a must watch.
My favorite scene so far, at least in terms of dialogue, without question, is the opening scene for the third episode as Cohle breaks down his thoughts on religion:
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If you haven’t seen the show, you can appreciate the above scene largely for the writing. It’s not an entirely “new” look at religion, but it’s very well written and performed as Cohle makes a compelling argument based on what he sees in front of him.
For those that have been watching the show, the scene is elevated because of not only what Cohle is saying, but because he’s saying it to Martin, whom we already know doesn’t agree in the least with Cohle’s take on religion. But in this instance I began to notice him softening ever-so-much, which tells us about what may soon be a change of heart for Martin when it comes to religion on a whole, as well as tells us a little more about the partnership between the two characters.
Take, for example, this next scene, from the first episode. This is the first time Martin asks Cohle about religion, a conversation not easily forgotten and as much as I love the back-and-forth, I also love Fukunaga’s visual eye in this scene. I don’t think it’s any mistake the cross-shaped telephone poles are prominently in view throughout the scene’s entirety.
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Obviously, if we’re going to talk direction we have to talk about the six-minute tracking shot that closed out the fourth episode. Working with Emmy Award-winning cinematographer of “Top of the Lake”, Adam Arkapaw (shooting on 35mm), Fukunaga decides on one long shot to track the events of a heist taking place in a housing project, involving plenty of gun fire, cops and extras and man does it move.
“We had ADs [assistant directors] all over the neighborhood because we had to release extras, crowd running background, police cars, stunt drivers,” Fukunage told MTV. “There were actual gun shots and stones being thrown through windows. There were a lot of things to put together… Even the action, the stunt sequences were complicated. We’re working on a television schedule. It isn’t like a film where you can spend a lot of time working the stunts out with the actors. We only had a day and a half to get Matthew and everyone else on the same page.”
As great as the entire sequence is, I love the final 90 seconds or so, as the camera leaves Cohle and Ginger (Joseph Sikora) and goes through the house, picking up with Cohle and Ginger on the other side as they head over the fence.
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As the first five episodes play out, it becomes quite clear the direction the narrative is heading, but once it gets there you come to realize there are now even more questions than answers. I have my theories as to how it will all end, and as much as I would love to be right, I would love it even more if this show kept sending me through loops.
A lot is riding on the series’ final three episodes and to think there are only three more hours to go and what seems like a lot left to sum up, I’m really hoping these last three episodes can deliver on the same level as the first five.
Now check out three posters from Mondo for the series, which will continue next Sunday, February 23.
