The Independent Review : A Toothless Political Thriller
A muted response was given to the news when The Independent revealed Peacock will be the setting for an under-the-radar political drama starring Succession's Brian Cox, the legendary Ann Dowd, rising sensation Jodie Turner-Smith, and john Cena. A political thriller coming out a week before the American midterm elections is like a christmas movie coming out a week before the capitalist holiday. Utilizing the present political obsession should have established the groundwork for a great release, but since the movie was announced only one week before it was to be released, there is a noticeable lack of confidence in its calibre.
The movie centres on Eli (Turner-Smith), a young journalist with idealistic tendencies who stumbles into a plot involving a presidential candidate that has the potential to alter the outcome of the election. Patricia Turnbull (Dowd), who may become America's first female president, and Nate Sterling (Cena), an independent, are the two strong contenders who would undoubtedly make history if they were to win. Still, Eli has the ability to ruin one of the contenders' careers together with her hero, the illustrious journalist Nick Booker (Cox). The fate of the nation lies in the hands of the media.
Although Peacock doesn't seem to have much faith in this idea, it does have the potential to be a terrific movie because there hasn't been a political thriller that has successfully captivated the public's interest since Netflix's house of Cards. The Independent, however, is derailed before it ever gets off the ground by a lack of substantial world-building, standout characters, or clever writing. The world around Eli and the candidates is hardly developed, so despite the stakes and the high likelihood of disaster, a lot of it falls flat. Even though seriousness is the only thing the movie tries to be, it falls short. Despite Ann Dowd and Brian Cox's talents, not much can be said about their roles other the fact that their performers did a good job portraying them. Eli's importance to the story is that neither she nor Jodie Turner-Smith, who plays her, have much room to grow beyond the concepts that give her life.
Both in front of and behind the camera, The Independent has a talented cast. The Independent doesn't, however, have the calibre of writing or vision to match the calibre of earlier tales, despite years of excellent television and cinema that have represented the never-ending struggle between the heroism of journalism and the ugliness of politics. The need for more perceptive and sharp writing is at the core of this convincing political thriller. The Independent frequently presents people with information about American politics that they already know, but it doesn't add any new information.