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Black Rabbit Reviews: Critics Are Saying Netflix’s New Thriller Is Your Next Binge-Watch

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If you’re a fan of a fast-paced thriller full of unpredictable twists and turns, Netflix has something you might want to check out this weekend.

On Thursday morning, the streaming giant premiered its new series Black Rabbit, which centres around two brothers who are reunited after an estrangement.

Jude Law plays one of the men, a successful New York nightclub owner whose life is turned upside down when his chaotic brother, portrayed by Jason Bateman, strolls back into his life, with chaos in his wake.

Reviews of the show so far have been pretty positive, with critics predicting big viewing figures for Black Rabbit, and even some (though, admittedly, not all!) of the less enthusiastic assessments still pointing out that the show is likely to make for binge-friendly viewing.

Here’s a selection of what the critics are saying about Black Rabbit so far…

“Pick of the week […] It’s snappy, fast-talking trash but with an undercurrent of fraternal tenderness that lends it a dimension beyond the generic.”

“Black Rabbit is worth watching for its stylish direction, propulsive pace that mitigates some of the narrative wheel-spinning, and most of all Law and Bateman’s brilliantly cast brother act. But technical polish and the faithful execution of genre conventions alone can’t elevate a show beyond competence.”

Black Rabbit is a new crime thriller now streaming on Netflix
Black Rabbit is a new crime thriller now streaming on Netflix

“There are parts of Black Rabbit that I appreciated, from a ground-level New York City vitality to a searing supporting performance from Troy Kotsur to a two-episode conclusion that’s effectively tense, right up until a soggy ending that left me convinced the series has no awareness that its main characters aren’t antiheroes, they just suck in very conventionally clichéd ways.”

“Law and Bateman have the convincing physical shorthand of siblings, the little eyebrow raises and exasperated smirks that convey a lifetime spent loving and infuriating each other. That familiarity is the backbone of Black Rabbit, and it gives urgency and emotional weight to everything that comes after the brothers reunite.”

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“The writing and the pacing of Black Rabbit during the appetiser portion of the program are solid enough that one will want to stick around for dessert, though there’s quite a bit of filler, too.”

“There’s always something happening, but it doesn’t always work. Everything is pitched at the same level of intensity, even if it’s obviously not as important or ends up not mattering. The runtimes are bloated, and some long scenes may have you eyeing the fast forward button… [but] the good news is that the show gets better as it goes on.”

“Although the series never feels like it could go anywhere, at least the inevitability instilled by its flash-forward opening quickly illustrates why you don’t have to keep hanging around.”

Black Rabbit is now streaming on Netflix.

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