A new mini -series Crime arrives on Apple TV + and offers a fairly stacked cast – when criticisms of “Smoke” think, the last effort of the showrunner and writer Dennis Lehane?
First of all: “Smoke”, which uses the “Firebug” podcast as its cowardly source material (as well as a true story, to which I will come back a little) features Taron Egerton (films “Kingsman” and “Rocketman”), Jurnee Smollett (which delivered a spectacular performance in “Birds of Prey” (“Black Mirror”, “The Big Short”), Anna Chlumsky (a “Veep” star) and Hollywood pillars John Leguizamo and Greg Kinnear. The main thing here is that the investigator of fire fires Dave Gudsen (Egerton) and the hard detective, Michelle Calderon (Smollett), try to determine who set a massive fire in the northwest of the Pacific, and the answer is complicated incredibly (and comes with a huge touch, to start).
Criminal dramas are a must in the industry these days, and it seems that there is a new entry into gender on a fundamentally constant basis. So what is the problem with “smoke” and what do the criticisms of the first (and perhaps autonomous) think that strikes Apple TV + on June 27?
Critics are definitely mixed on Taron Egerton’s smoke
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Smoke” has won an average of 64% to date with a critical consensus that is seen as follows: “” Smoke “obscures his attraction with a shy plot until he finally lights a fire under his history, but commanding turns of Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett keep this drama looking at all.” Through the mixed criticism of the new series, criticism echoes this exact feeling.
On the positive side, Alan Sepinwall at Rolling Stone wrote: “It is not a coincidence that” smoke “becomes much more entertaining and complex the second where it strengthens all its cards.” (This is a reference to the twist that occurs early in the series.) For IGN films, Emma Fraser has thought, “Smoke” suffers from her too ambiguous narration. However, despite all the frustrations that present, the performances of Egerton, Jurnee Smollett and the rest of the whole make it an endable and understandable ending series. “”. In his review for Thewrap, Deidre Johnson said: “” Smoke “has everything that fans [Dennis] Lehane’s books or television shows expect – mystery, action, violence, disturbing atmosphere – but this series also has a dark comedy and pieces of fantasy. “Meanwhile, Keith Phipps of Tvguide was quite direct:” The results are not entirely satisfactory, but the moments that click on the spot, in particular the performances of spot which hold the balance of the series, which suggests that this was worth a test. “”
The detractors, like the Lowerry Tim of the AV club, did not chop the words either; As he said, “” Smoke “has real things to say about the illusion, the stories that we are racing and the trauma behind them. It’s just a shame that his chills spawn so often.” On Rogerebert.com, Brian Tallerico wrote: “Forget the suspension of belief – you must light it on fire to take advantage of it.” In fact, many criticisms have made excavations related to fire, like Nina Metz at Chicago Tribune: “Lots of smoke. No fire.” Finally, Nick Schager, in his review for The Daily Beast, simply said that everything was overworked, calling “smoking” a “spectacle with as much restraint as his demons, sabotaging his frequently captivating action via a handful of exaggerated crucial contributions.”
The smoke is based on a true and devastating story –
Warning: If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now. (Although I would say that the trailer for “smoke” does it fairly clear What is really happening.) The show uses the real story of John Leonard Orr as partial inspiration, in addition to the “Firebug” podcast. Orr, which worked as a fire fire in California, was finally exposed as a prolific incendiary; Over time, he put and subsequently investigated more than 2,000 fires in the state. According to an article by Los Angeles Times, the only reason why Orr’s crimes were revealed first of all is that, in 1991, he began to try to sell a novel called “Points of Origin” – and as the point of sale said, it was quite obviously to Orr himself. “The hero of his manuscript, Phil, is a fire fire fire fire in Los Angeles,” he said. “The villain, Aaron, is a socially rabougri pyromaniac who finds sexual excitement in the flames he defines and who uses his specialized knowledge as a veteran firefighter to escape detection.”
Although Orr denied that the novel was actually based on him in an interview with The Times, it seems that this is probably not true, and the fact is that the content of the novel finally led the authorities to arrest Orr. The point of sale also notes that in January 2025, Orr was still detained in Mule Creek State prison in California.
“Smoke” comes across Apple TV + on June 27, 2025, and if you feel if inclined, you can also consult “Firebug”.
