Poker Face: a delightful Columbo 2.0 (review)
Natasha Lyonne solves murders with explosive composure and a unique gift: she reads lies, all the time, in everyone. Perfect premise for a detective series that plays brilliantly with the codes of the genre.
“Oh by the way, just one more thing...” When the inspector Columbo came out this line, you knew that the time had come to handcuff the assassin. Yes, the investigator played by Peter Falk had understood, from the start, who the killer was. He had followed the trail, deciphered the clues and inconsistencies to arrive at the truth. A brilliant talent, Natasha Lyonne brought up to date in Poker facea fantastic detective series to watch for free online for a few days on TF1 +.
This time, Charlie Cale is not a cop, but a waitress in a Las Vegas casino. The ideal city for her, because she has a unique gift: she knows when people are lying, all the time, in everyone. A sort of quasi-supernatural radar, very practical for winning at poker. But also spectacular, when it comes to solving murder cases.
Because from episode to episode, Charlie finds herself entangled, despite herself, in stories of homicide. She could go her own way and make her own way (after all, she is NOT a cop!). But no, the young woman gets involved and almost always manages to catch the culprits. With her air of a nice tramp, trashy and sassy, no one suspects her of being in fact a walking lie detector, coupled with unparalleled insight. Every time the killers think they have committed the perfect crime, having managed to fool the authorities, Charlie comes back and corners them!
Thought like an old crime series, Poker face mischievously plays with the codes of the genre (even the design of the credits is deliberately old school) and remakes Columbo in a modern atmosphere. As in the cult thriller (1968-2003), we know from the start who the murderer is. Each episode spends the first 20 minutes showing us the murder and the story behind the murder. Then it’s Charlie’s turn to come on stage and unravel the threads of the scam, understanding that there is something fishy going on, thanks to his gift. The concept is certainly a little repetitive, but it is surprisingly well-oiled. Especially because each of the investigations functions like a solid puzzle, absolutely delightful to piece together, where a crowd of guests have a blast, like Adrien Brody from episode 1 or Chloë Sévigny as a fallen metal star (in episode 4). It’s not for nothing if Ryan Johnsondirector of the films At loggerheads (Knives Out) is at the helm of this formidable “Whodunnit”, both creator, screenwriter and director. Poker face knew how to dust off the genre, reinvent the series columbesque and pay homage to him at the same time. It’s strong. You just have to look to see that we’re not lying!
Poker Face, season 1 in 10 episodes to watch on TF1 + in France.
