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Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson. © 2020 Showtime, CBS, and Secret Hideout. Directed by Billy Ray.
Watched it on Netflix (A Showtime Original)
Is Loyalty Given or Earned? Miniseries Review: After the 2020 election, everything seems to be normal. Well, America has divided once again but in the Hollywood/Television World, it is a completely different story. We go back in time to one of the most pivotal moments during Trump's presidency and the future of the FBI. From loyalty, trust, violence, and affairs, this scandal really affected not just two people, but a future that America can't clean or brush off. The Comey Rule is a gripping miniseries full of great performances and a story that can be taken in many directions based on what political side you are on, but the filmmaking present in this show is very great. Let's go deep into this real-life story and explore what worked with the filmmaking and what could've been stronger while not pissing both political parties. Unless Abraham Lincoln returns from the dead and makes gambling illegal. Random but political. Story: The miniseries tells the story of two powerful men, whose strikingly different personalities, ethics, and loyalties put them on a collision course. Part one follows the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and their impact on the election. Part two is an account of the first months of the Trump presidency - where allies became enemies, enemies became friends and truth depended on what side you were on. It's a political war that wasn't meant to happen in the first place. First, let's discuss the elephant in the room which is politics. If you are a republican or democrat, good for you. But that doesn't matter to me when I watch any films dealing with real-life events and how they are based on it with the elements of filmmaking involved. Everyone will have a different point of view when watching this show but I can tell this, this show aims to variety of people from both sides and it does it so well. It shows the good side and bad side of the right and left political parties. While it aims more into the left, in its direct core, it's a moderate point of view. I love when shows or films use the point of view from a moderate's perspective. It gives a raw and unfiltered view of a story or issue and makes it as dramatic as possible. This miniseries utilizes it so well and it's an amazing produced series showing the fishy ways of the government and how America can be untrusted sometimes. Everyone has a part to play and the cast in the series is very great. Jeff Daniels does a great job with his lead performance showcasing the truthful and honesty about his real-life character James Comey. His performance was pretty spot on and the character itself written for the screen is pretty great. The supporting cast in the FBI is also pretty great including Michael Kelly. I liked his strong performance and his fear of both sides of the political parties. Donald Trump himself, acted by Brendan Gleeson is absolutely amazing. It's the best representation of trump through film/television dramatization. He really acts like a villain in this series and his performance is pretty scary for a dramatization. It's spot on with his movements, how he talks, and his facial expression. It can be a little bit cartoony at times or look like an SNL skit, but Gleeson really killed it in his role. I loved his performance and I'm glad it wasn't a shadowed performance. The cast did a great job overall but the story itself is pretty good.
I have not read the book yet but after watching this series, I think I will. The real-life accounts of these events are spot on. While it can be slow at times, it catches up with the drama in the story. There are parts that are fictionalized but within its core, it does its job and it's pretty good. I could've seen it as a film but it would've been too long and it could've cut down some of the important pieces in the film. Glad it was a miniseries and the narrative overall is well done. The directing is very solid and during the heavy parts, it was pretty emotional and it got me good. Especially the final episode. The final episode is the best one in the miniseries and it has emotional and dramatic moments that are very strong. Overall, it's a great retelling of these real-life events. The production itself is pretty great as well. I liked the production design of the white house and the makeup & hair on Trump is honestly amazing. I couldn't see Gleeson's face which is a plus. But there are parts where I could see some of his face in the bright shots. The cinematography is quite interesting. It's very blue and dark which is suited for the show and I didn't notice until I rewatched some of the show. The lighting during the Obama days are bright and less blue while during the Trump days, it's grey and blue. It gets darker and darker which is a nice little detail within the editing and cinematography. Overall, the production is pretty great and it didn't feel cheap at any point in the miniseries. There are some critiques that I would like to discuss.
I would say that it felt slow during the second episode or drifted away in the main narrative. I was kind of lost in some parts on who the FBI was accusing. I felt like this show was kind of biased on some points which can be interpreted in many ways. There are some shots that look a little bit weird. Not only that, it felt like an SNL skit at some points which is not good. That's what I had in mind when going into this show. It's fucking hilarious that the SNL thought is in my mind while watching this miniseries. I would say that while you will like or hate this show, you have to be open-minded about the filmmaking parts of it. It's a well-developed show but it's not perfect. It's slow at times and it can feel unintentionally funny at times. There are more critiques to give but with an open discussion. The good thing is that it got its message across and the execution of it was very great. This is a well-made miniseries with amazing performances and great production. It can feel like an SNL skit at times but hey, that's what the media did to us. I'm being political now, shit. Anyways, the filmmaking is pretty great and it got its message across. While there are some parts that could've used more work, it's still a dramatic ride and the final episode really landed so well. I really liked this show and I hope I don't get canceled by giving a positive review. Now Streaming on Showtime and Netflix. Vizeit Score: "B+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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