Black Bird is an American crime drama limited series developed by Dennis Lehane, based on the 2010 autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin.[1] The six-episode miniseries premiered on July 8, 2022, on Apple TV+.[2][3]James ‘Jimmy’ Keene was a promising young football star who failed to impress the college football. He turned to a life of crime dealing narcotics until he was arrested as part of a wider sting called Operation Snowplow. He accepted a plea deal which he believed to be five years, released with parole after four years.Black Bird Season 1 Download
However, in addition to his drug dealing, he was charged with possession of a number of illegally held firearms and was sentenced to ten years without parole.Given his natural charming personality and gift for talking, he was offered an opportunity for a commuted sentence by federal authorities. This is the story of the dangerous deal he was offered and what happened next.[4]The series was announced in January 2021, with Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser cast to star.[6][7] Ray Liotta would be added to the cast in March,[8] with Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi joining the next month.[9] The six-episode limited series premiered on July 8, 2022, on Apple TV+.[2][3]Production for the series began in New Orleans in April 2021.The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 98% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 66 critic reviews. The website’s critics consensus reads, “Dennis Lehane’s penchant for authentic grit is on full display in Blackbird, an absorbing prison drama distinguished by its moral complexity and elevated by an outstanding ensemble.”[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.
Mike Hale of The New York Times stated, “Despite that imbalance in the dramatic weight, Black Bird is mostly engaging — Hauser is onscreen a lot, and the production has a hushed quality, with occasional expressionistic touches, that is reminiscent of David Fincher’s crime stories. It’s at its best in the fourth episode, directed by Jim McKay (“Our Song”): Egerton is more relaxed, and Hauser even sharper than usual, and their scenes together have an almost sexual charge.