CRANK UP THE VCR:

Set in Los Angeles in 1932, the economy is in crisis, cops are corrupt, and a child kidnapping-gone-wrong dominates the front page - there is a timeliness to aspects of the narrative. Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is a world-weary investigator who makes a quick buck from movie studio bosses wanting to control their roster of talent via the threat of scandal - you might not look at dessert in the same way after the first episode.

Divorced and disconnected, he is a World War One veteran who is still haunted by what he saw in battle. Prohibition is still in effect, not that Perry pays much attention to the boundaries set by the law. When he is tasked with uncovering who is behind the headline-grabbing disturbing crime, the pulpy aspects of this story kick into gear. [...]

Taking a step back in time, HBO has clearly splashed the cash on the impressive and immersive sets from the grimy streets of Los Angeles to Perry's rundown former family farm, which now sits in the middle of an airfield. In the second episode, a flashback to the trenches in France is far from subtle but effectively underscores the horror of Perry's combat experience in an impressive action sequence. Veteran TV director Tim Van Patten (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos) directed six of the eight episodes, marrying his talents for a big production with intimate scenes of explosive intensity.

A gritty origin story runs the risk of being too dour or self-serious, which Perry Mason avoids in the first two episodes by leaning into the wisecracking dialogue made famous by hardboiled fiction. Reactions to this adaptation might vary depending on how attached you are to the Burr series. Even so, the strong cast led by the magnetic Rhys ensures that even when the conspiracy sags, you will be clamouring to spend more time with this cast beyond finding out whodunnit.

Tweet   @brothersjudd