In the picture

**Black Rabbit**
*Starring:* Jason Bateman, Jude Law, Cleopatra Coleman, Abbey Lee, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Troy Kotsur
*Created by:* Zach Baylin and Kate Susman

While Jude Law’s criminally underrated crime thriller *The Order* failed to make its mark on the awards circuit, its production ultimately led to a limited series poised to become Netflix’s next big conversation-starter—if it can break through the binge-model barrier.

Created by *The Order*’s Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, *Black Rabbit* is a dark, cautionary tale about brotherhood, addiction, and keeping things above board. If you thought Cain and Abel were bad, you simply haven’t met Jake (Jude Law) and Vince (Jason Bateman) Friedken yet.

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### A Slow Burn Introduction

*Black Rabbit* starts slow, introducing viewers to Jude Law’s Jake Friedken in isolation from the chaos he’s on the precipice of experiencing. Jake is a well-dressed glad-hander who manages to avoid being pegged as a sleazeball by virtue of being down-to-earth, loving his son, maintaining a good relationship with his ex-wife (Dagmara Dominczyk), and displaying a degree of earnestness that isn’t just for show.

All of these traits come forward within the first five minutes as Jake makes his way to his restaurant, the eponymous Black Rabbit. But things fall apart quickly. After giving a speech about the ethos of the restaurant and his desire to make a place where “the night could go anywhere,” gunmen suddenly emerge, things get stolen, and people get shot. It’s an explosive introduction filled with nuances that become even clearer on a rewatch.

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### Flashbacks and Storytelling

With a gun shoved in Jake’s face, *Black Rabbit* jumps back in time to precisely one month before the hold-up. Flashbacks, often a divisive storytelling tool, are deftly handled here. Susman and Baylin maintain the same pace and stakes across the present, the recent past, and childhood flashbacks. Some of these moments are pure fun, providing a glimpse into the brothers’ former lives as rock stars.

Watching a Temu Kurt Cobain-styled Jude Law sing grungy music alongside Jason Bateman—amidst a sea of rabbit-headed bodies—is a brief, lighthearted diversion from the tense, nail-biting narrative unfolding around them.

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### A Tense Whodunit

The mystery of who would attack Jake and the Black Rabbit family turns *Black Rabbit* into somewhat of a whodunit. As laid out in the premiere, Vince has dropped back into Jake’s life after circumstances drove them apart—and he’s nothing but trouble.

Vince is the kind of trouble who lacks remorse after killing someone, conjures convincing lies from thin air, and carries a laundry list of enemies across New York City, especially local bookie Joe Mancuso (Troy Kotsur). Mancuso has longstanding ties to the Friedken family and an axe to grind with Vince. Joe’s son, Junior (Forrest Weber), is hot-headed and desperate to prove himself to his father, while his right-hand man, Babbitt (Chris Coy), attempts to keep Junior in line.

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### Brotherhood in Conflict

Both Jake and Vince are grifters, though in very different styles. Vince is not as slick or clever as Jake but knows how to use his beleaguered, squirrely personality to his advantage. He quickly transforms from black sheep to prodigal son, if only briefly.

Jake is well aware of his brother’s flaws, but like many with troubled family members, he clings to the hope that this time will be different. As a character glibly remarks later in the series, Vince may be an addict—but Jake is addicted to his brother.

Law and Bateman fully sell this Cain and Abel dynamic to the point where viewers forget they are watching two of the greatest dramatic actors of their generation. Over eight episodes, they’re simply two born-and-bred New Yorkers bickering with a familiarity that feels genuinely brotherly. They rarely try to one-up each other during their confrontations, but the script and their performances nudge the scales, causing viewers to question who they should truly root for.

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### Trouble Within Black Rabbit

Trouble was brewing inside Black Rabbit long before Vince’s return. His comeback only exposes how ill-equipped Jake is to run a restaurant. Jake’s negligence—not as malicious as Vince’s actions—shows just how similar the brothers truly are.

The series explores the incestuous nature of the restaurant industry, especially in spaces where the lines between employee and family are blurred. This subplot has mixed success. Much of the interpersonal drama within Black Rabbit is overshadowed by Jake and Vince’s desperate attempts to escape their debts with the bookie, which is unfortunate since many of the best character dynamics exist outside of the brothers.

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### Supporting Characters and Dynamics

The Black Rabbit began as Vince’s lofty dream before his recklessness forced Jake to cut him out. Together, they had assembled an underdog team:

– Wes (Sope Dirisu), a rising music star and investor
– Estelle (Cleopatra Coleman), Wes’s esteemed interior designer girlfriend
– Roxie (Amaka Okafor), an ambitious chef
– Tony (Robin de Jesus), a bright-eyed bartender and Roxie’s second-in-command
– Anna (Abbey Lee) and Mel (Gus Birney), their hosts

By design, these characters exist primarily when crossing paths with Jake or Vince. Though this sometimes leaves them underdeveloped, it ultimately serves the narrative—both men are so self-centered that these supporting characters cease to exist outside their peripheral vision.

Jake and Estelle’s relationship stands out as a surprising bright spot, though it’s hard to tell how much of it is genuine and how much stems from Jake’s self-sabotage.

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### Standout Performances

Four years after his Oscar win for *CODA*, Troy Kotsur remains a stalwart performer. His role in *Black Rabbit* is small but haunting. Whenever he appears, he shines as an intimidating mobster-type, embodying a duality that the series unfortunately doesn’t fully explore.

Another standout is Gen (Odessa Young), Vince’s estranged daughter, who finds herself a victim by association. Though her role is minor, her scenes—especially those with Bateman—leave a lasting impression.

Morgan Spector also weaves in and out of episodes, commanding every scene with the same intensity he exhibited in *The Gilded Age*, but with a far darker, more menacing aura.

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### Final Thoughts

*Black Rabbit*’s only notable flaw is that it has so many compelling characters that it doesn’t spend enough time developing them all. The series sometimes feels lost in its own relentless pace but ultimately delivers a satisfying—albeit devastating—conclusion that rings frighteningly true to life.

This unsettling realism is what makes *Black Rabbit* so compelling but also presents a challenge. Each 45-minute episode demands a hefty breather after the credits roll, which isn’t ideal for the binge-watching model Netflix often relies on.

Given its storytelling style and reliance on fully engaged viewers, *Black Rabbit* could very well become a sleeper hit long after its initial release. The element of mutual assured destruction set against the backdrop of a restaurant makes this new Netflix series feel like *The Bear*—but on cocaine.
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