Colman Domingo Netflix thriller ‘The Madness’ is a mess
A project like “The Madness” should be a feather in the cap of someone like Colman Domingo. Although the artist has been working steadily for decades, several years of increasingly prominent roles — in “Euphoria,” “Zola” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” among others — have resulted in milestone moments like an Oscar nomination. for “Rustin”), a potential second on the way (for “Sing Sing”) and a spot on the cover of this magazine. And because limited series are now part of the routine for A-list actors, the eight-part Netflix thriller should help cement Domingo’s status as he continues to win the trophies.
There’s just one problem: While Domingo acquits himself nicely as an increasingly crazed man on the run, “The Madness” itself is a jumbled mess, its pulpy appeal softened by a drawn-out running time and attempts at social commentary that miss their mark. find. marking.
Domingo stars as Muncie Daniels, a CNN commentator (somehow the network is invoked by both name and logo) who rents a cabin in the Poconos and finds the neighbor dismembered in his sauna. That neighbor turns out to be a notorious white nationalist, and despite reporting both the body and the apparent killers who chased him through the woods to local authorities, Muncie’s “BLM ties” quickly make him a prime suspect.
Everything about “The Madness” is haphazardly developed, from Muncie’s political background to the roots of his faltering marriage to the various adversaries who appear from the airwaves during his quest to find out who is likely to frame him for murder. A single on-air exchange with a guest reveals that Muncie was previously a grassroots activist before moving into academia, but there are few details about his actual cause or advocacy. He’s then launched into fight-or-flight mode, with little opportunity to clarify the blur and better map Muncie’s trajectory. “The Madness” vaguely positions his plight as a forced reconnection with what should really matter to him, from an estranged daughter (Gabrielle Graham) to his radical father’s former compatriots. However, without a better understanding of his premise, it is a futile effort.
“The Madness,” created by playwright Stephen Belber and directed largely by Clément Virgo, can’t stay focused long enough to make a point. Pitching a black liberal against a dangerous group of white supremacists is an intriguing setup for a classic potboiler with contemporary themes. (Think of Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix hit “Rebel Ridge,” a “First Blood”-style outlaw story about modern police work.) But for its twists and filling an entire season, “The Madness” turns on its detractors Muncie out too often to make them all really threatening. First, neo-Nazis; then, in a shocking implicit equivalence, armed antifa types; than a generically evil corporation and its enforcers. The random, sudden changes make Muncie’s investigation, often in collaboration with a friendly FBI agent (John Ortiz), feel like there’s no stakes.
At times, “The Madness” is so downright ridiculous that its hyperactive plots can flirt with campy fun. Muncie must track down an antifa militant, who he is told is hanging out at a swinger bar (the kind of establishment that Certainly exists and counts far-left people among his clientele), so he convinces his soon-to-be ex-wife (Marsha Stephanie Blake) to investigate the case in broad daylight. The setup is just elaborate enough to make you throw up your hands and say, “Of course!” In addition to Domingo, “The Madness” also features a supporting cast so large that you’re just glad to see them no matter the circumstances: Stephen McKinley Henderson, Bradley Whitford and Alison Wright are all welcome, even if they deserve stronger material.
Domingo does use “The Madness” to show his range, turning Muncie into a cornered animal whose panic gradually gives way to reckless determination. Muncie nonetheless remains more of a mode than a fully realized person, with little to define herself proactively or against. Overall, “The Madness” feels like a box checked on a deservedly growing resume — Domingo’s first time at the top of a TV call list, but nowhere near one of his signature roles.
All eight episodes of ‘The Madness’ are now available to stream on Netflix.
