In 1995 Michael Mann hit me with a sucker punch. I never saw Heat coming, his cops and robbers film starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer, about a “crew” of professional thieves who live by the code, “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
The movie was brilliant.
I remember my wife and I going to see it based on the strength of the cast alone. We knew very little about the rest of the movie. And I remember walking out of the theater some three hours later completely blown away by the sheer virtuosity of the film. It was like nothing I had ever seen before; devoid of cliches with intelligent characters that were exceptionally well spoken. The film’s events were driven by the motivation of the characters, not by clunky plot designs. And the whole thing was shot and directed with a master’s hand. I remember how fast my heart raced during the entire bank robbery sequence; I caught myself clutching my wife’s hand rather tightly, and she mine.
Since that time I’ve wished for more Heat. I’ve wondered what it would be like to see some of those characters, or characters like them, in another movie. I wanted to see more of that world.
CBS has answered the call with it’s new drama, Smith.
The show stars Ray Liotta who is familiar with this sort of character, having played a mobster in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Joining Liotta is a pretty strong cast: Jonny Lee Miller, Simon Baker, Virginia Madsen (Liotta’s character’s wife), Amy Smart and Franky G. The bulk of them team up to form a professional “crew”, much like the one lead by De Niro in Heat. Together they plan and execute risky heists. These are people who are not wired like the rest of society; for them, a 9 to 5 job is no different than a prison sentence. They’re lifestyles and tastes require a large influx of cash, and stealing is the only way for them to accomodate their desires. On top of that, some of them are adreneline junkies. For them, the cash is only part of the reward; the thrill of the heist brings its own benefits.
The show is well acted, as it should be with the cast it has. The directing leaves a lot to be desired (as does some of the writing) but that’s where we get into the real problem with the show. You see, “Smith” has almost everything necessary to be successful, except for the one thing that it really needs to thrive: a cable network developer.
Why this show is not on HBO or Showtime is something my brain still hasn’t grasped. The objective of the show is to take viewers into a world they don’t get to see – into the criminal world. Films like Goodfellas and Heat were perfect vehicles for this sort of endeavor because there are basically no constraints. You can say or do anything, as criminals often do. You get to see that world completely unedited.
But with a major network as your home a lot of the details have to be left out. It’s an edited version of Heat. There’s no cussing, for one, which comes across as highly unlikely given the characters and their backgrounds. No sex either, and the violence is toned down to extremely low levels. Are these really criminals we’re watching? It’s hard to tell at times, because it all seems a bit too sterilized. There’s something very dissatisfiying about watching the show and knowing that nothing really extreme is likely to happen because a major network distributor has hamstrung what can be shown. It’s the complete opposite feeling you get when watching a film like Goodfellas, where you have no idea if one of the character’s is going to go berserk at the drop of a hat. That “edgy” feel that most great cops & robbers/gangs/heist movies have is completely missing here.
It becomes even more disappointing when you compare it to a show like HBO’s Deadwood, which just concluded it’s 3rd season, just as bloody, foul and violent as it ever has been. But that’s the reality of the time, place and characters, all of which lend the show a certain authentic weight. That, in turn, makes the drama all the more interesting.
And that’s what is ultimately disappointing about Smith: the show is not driven by the reality of it’s characters. Instead, it’s driven by a television network trying to sell ad space. Nothing feels authentic or real. The whole thing feels like it has been censored by Big Brother before we’ve received the feed from CBS.
That said, there’s a ton of potential here. The cast is great, for one. And the developers, hamstrung as they are, have come up with a creative and interesting opening stanza of episodes. With the proper freedom the show could be exceptional. I can see Smith being yanked by CBS after less than one season if the ratings are low. And that would be a blessing if someone like HBO decides to pick up this show and give it an extreme makeover.
This show, with the creative powers of the folks at HBO, who have produced shows like the Sopranos, Deadwood and The Wire, could be dynamite television.
Right now, it is simply in the wrong hands.