Review written by Jesse Miller, MoreHorror.com
Do you know that feeling where you are completely lost in the world of a story? It could be a book, a film, a song – it doesn’t matter, you feel utterly sucked into the moment, as if you’re an extra person standing in the room listening to the conversation or whatever little moment you’re in.
Well, True Detective’s pilot episode – The Long Dark Bright – did exactly that for me.
I was transported into the world – living and breathing in there as if I was experiencing every day that passed with the two detectives as I – or should I say we – investigated this rather satanic murder mystery.
When the sixty minute pilot came to a close, I just sat back in my chair feeling drained as if I had been spending days investigating the case myself.
Go ahead and call me crazy but I was lost in that world, man, I was so absorbed by the story, the characters, the dialogue, the little moments, that I was just gone – sucked into the picture like that little kid from Jumanji.
That’s brilliant entertainment right there. That’s absorbing, engrossing writing and mesmerizing acting, that’s just outstanding craft on display here that makes me slump back in my chair, eyes wide and feeling like I want to tear through the next episode to keep the story going.
My hat is off to the production team because this feature is just incredible – the cinematography is terrific in setting the mood, director Cary Joji Fukunaga has a great eye for almost making the Louisiana location an entity itself and gets wonderful moments out of the story and his cast.
Speaking of the cast, not only have you got Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson turning in masterful and absorbing performances as the two detectives leading the case, you’ve got wonderful actors like Michelle Monaghan and Kevin Dunn lending some solid support. It’s a great cast.
The story here is something you’ll want to tune in for – it’s got a murder mystery that’s gothic, a little weird and satanic and right at the heart of the story, you’ve got the lives of the detectives – one, a family man, the other, a brilliant but tortured soul who has lost everything and risks becoming unhinged.
If you’re anything like me and you like some top-notch drama, gothic elements and the like, you’ll want to check this right out immediately.