Poker Face is a TV show (on Sky Max) following Charlie, a woman with the ability to tell when people are lying just based on instinct. It’s a crime drama, and although there is a main storyline running throughout (since we are following Charlie), each episode also encompasses a standalone story.
The show has some fantastic actors in it (Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Herbert, Adrien Brody, Ron Perlman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light and many more). Each episode introduces new characters and you see them in a light you wouldn’t perhaps expect, which makes it all the more thrilling.
We follow Charlie as she helps a crime boss out with some poker games but then uncovers something far more sinister. Despite being somewhat morally grey, this is something she won’t stand for and confronts the crime boss, but not before implementing some security measures for herself. This is crucial to the story as it’s the first time that we, as the viewer, can see how intelligent and capable she truly is. That sets us up for the remaining episodes, that we know we are in for a great ride. At the end of that episode, she is then on the run from an even bigger crime lord, which is the main theme throughout the show but it doesn’t come in to play until the final episode.
The reason that this show is so good is because of the number of clues in each episode. We are given the opportunity to figure out what happened ourselves before Charlie does, but I wasn’t able to. Through the director's vision, we know what is a clue, but that doesn’t help in trying to piece it together. Like a jigsaw puzzle. You know that it’s a piece that goes somewhere, but just by looking at it, you don’t immediately connect it to the whole story.
The cinematography of the show is something I really enjoyed too. It felt old-school and had a lot of symmetry in places. Each episode almost felt like a standalone indie movie but in actual fact is the part of something much bigger. The editing is great as is the colour grading. Everything is quite warm toned.
It’s one of the most memorable shows that I’ve watched in the last few years and I would highly recommend you give it a go. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea as it can feel slow. There’s not that much action in each episode but when there is, it’s great.
My Rating - 9/10