by In “Smoke” on Apple TV+, Taron Egerton embodies an investigator confronted with a series of criminal fires. The series is inspired by a true story, really freezing.
Be careful, spoilers! This article returns to the intrigue of the Smoke series. If you haven't seen it yet and do not want to know the content, do not continue to read.
Contrary to what one might think with its Pulp style and its Egerton taon which plays with the foot glued to the pedal of the accelerator, the Smoke series is inspired by real criminal fires.
Nearly 2,000 suspicious fires ravaged southern California throughout the 1980s and the early 90s. Craft workshops, department stores and discounters struck by the incendiary all wore the same strange signature: delayed ignition, maximum destruction and clean flight. The investigators found themselves groping in smoke, trying to give meaning to a diagram that seemed deliberate but remained elusive.
A terrifying story
Taron Egerton plays Dave Gudsen, an investigator who tracks a pyromaniac who escapes investigators and who terrorizes a fictitious city of the North West Pacific. This story, based on the “Firebug” podcast, explores the motivations of a man whose behavior is both mysterious and disturbing.
While the investigation is intensifying, suspicion is closer and closer to his home. The evidence suggests that one of the incendiaries could have links with the profession-perhaps a firefighter or someone from the service himself-forcing Dave to consider the disturbing possibility that he can be in pursuit of a colleague, or worse, of a friend.
Taron Egerton, who admits that he had not known this story before the project, was fascinated by the complexity of his character. “”It is a real challenge to bring together all these facets into a coherent character“He declares to Time Magazine.
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An exploration of the dark side of the human soul
Creator Dennis Lehane is more interested in the human psyche than in the simple criminal investigation. He wants to explore the moral shades surrounding the crimes, which makes the series all the more captivating although confusing. “”What interests me are the aspects of the human psyche“Explains Lehane.
The choice to locate history at the present time makes it possible to tackle contemporary themes such as trust in the leaders and the institutional failure that undermine America in recent years, which anchors the series in a disturbing reality.
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The hero's duality
Dave, the character of Egerton, sees himself as a hero, but his personal life does not correspond to this image. This contradiction makes its career all the more fascinating. “”He has a poorly oriented hero complex“, Specifies Taron Egerton, and adds that understanding who it is really constitutes a challenge throughout the series.
Over the episodes, Dave begins to acquire a better understanding of itself, but this journey is often uncomfortable. “”He has no idea who he is“, Confides the actor.
Smoke promises to be an intense series over the episodes that questions the very nature of the truth and the consequences of lies. Do not miss the first episodes on Apple TV+.
