Few actors stack up against the greatness of Colin Farrell. The Irish actor rose to the top of Hollywood but struggled with alcohol and drugs. His comeback, beginning in 2008’s In Bruges, has resulted in an over fifteen-year run of greatness. As the lead of Sugar, a new series from Apple TV+, Farrell once again shines. Through empathy and kindness, he makes Sugar a uniquely human show. Yet, on occasion, the show dips into style over substance. It’s a huge win for Apple TV+ and for Noir fans everywhere.
Sugar – The Plot
The titular John Sugar (Farrell) works as a private investigator, focusing on missing persons cases. His techniques are odd, and his partner Ruby (Kirby) demands he take a break. Despite a well-earned vacation, Sugar cannot resist a call from Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell), a famed Hollywood producer. However, Siegel’s granddaughter Olivia has gone missing. Despite drug abuse in her past, Sugar fears foul play. Along the way, the detective gets tied up with musicians, actors, and gangsters in a modern noir.
The Critique
Created by Mark Protosevich and directed by Fernando Meirelles & Adam Arkin, Sugar oozes with style. The classic noirs of the 1940s and 1950s get plenty of callbacks. The way Sugar intersplices them into the text helps it stand out. It’s not just Farrell asking around for a missing girl. It recalls Bogart, Mitchum, and others that spring to life. Cross-cutting between those scenes and Farrell’s actual integrations focuses on the concept of performance above all else. Even when Farrell must interrogate, he’s pulling from cinematic legends to emulate. The performance within the performance helps Farrell deliver one of the best performances in any medium over the past two years.
Farrell hit roadblocks in life, but he’s always been a movie star. Sugar further highlights his impeccable charm. You fall for him talking to people of interest (Amy Ryan) just as hard as he tries to help others. People make mistakes, and if this man can avoid hurting others, he will. At the same time, he proves exceedingly dangerous. Farrell dances between the cocky asshole and the nuanced self-aware bravado you want from a private investigator. He also shows genuine empathy when the cards are down. Farrell weaponized his incredibly expressive eyes to showcase his love for people and his wish to add good to the world.
While the Noir has faded from most popular entertainment, the community that loves the genre will be excited for this love letter. Allowing the black and white footage to coexist alongside the bright colors or LA showcases gives us a unique visual palette. The montages and dreamlike quality recall the era at its best. It’s unclear if we’ve entered a nightmare, or if our heroes’ perception of this world is stilted. While the later episodes provide more details about why the world looks this way, the visual palette from Meirelles is impressive regardless. It creates a vibe, especially with Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge providing an absolutely killer score. That collaboration becomes one of Sugar‘s secret weapons.
The only real issue with Sugar stems from the mystery’s lack of juice. It plays into some tropes of course – the private eye looks for the white woman – but that is not the problem. Like The Big Lebowski or The Nice Guys, the show’s power lies in its character interactions. While this helps the show succeed, it requires time away from enjoying the world created by Protosevich because the audience needs closure. Even so, Sugar proves an excellent showcase of what television can deliver, especially when a writing staff and the actors swing big.
Conclusion
Sugar soars as a starring vehicle for Farrell. Once again, he proves his singular talent, blending deep remorse and sadness with an affinity for life. Sugar relies on the audience to know something about noir history, and while that’s exciting to watch, it will leave those out of the loop somewhat frustrated. Yet the mystery does not prove to be the point of this show. Instead, watching how we protect and interact with each other overshadows all other aspects of this world. It’s among the most human and empathetic shows of 2024 so far.
9/10
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