Untamed is an invigorating thriller aided by strong performances, an inviting visual aesthetic and a gamey pace. The action is combustive and the actors do a fantastic job keeping it consistent, rooted and authentic
Untamed review
Title: Untamed
Cast: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lily Santiago,
Creators: Mark L. Smith and Ellie Smith
Directors: Thomas Bezucha, Neasa Hardiman, Nick Murphy
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 6 eps
Untamed is a thriller series that starts off in a tense daunting fashion. We see two men climbing the sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park when a body(Ezra Franky) comes hurtling down on them.
Was the unidentified woman logged as Jane Doe #1711 dead already? Did she take her own life or was she murdered? The series grapples with these questions as it springs through several episodes circling around who the potential culprit is?
The plotting may be a tad convoluted but the tension holds strong as the investigation leads to several skeletons hurtling out of the closet.
National Parks Service Special Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) along with a rookie former L.A. cop, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) work the case even though authorities in power would like to see the case decided as an unfortunate accident so as keep the tourism influx steady. As Turner goes on earnestly with his investigation Chief Ranger Paul Souter (Sam Neill) is by his side. The murder investigation leads Turner to a drug trafficking operation in the park, connecting to a shady figure from his past, the park’s Wildlife Management Officer, Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel).
Turner begins by interviewing all the suspicious individuals living around the park. Leads relating to the personal lives of those who live there come up for closer inspection. There appears to be danger lurking around every corner and as the investigation hots up, skeletons keep stumbling out and the killer comes closer to being exposed.
The Jane Doe case links to an older case of a missing person that has haunted Turner for years. Over its six episodes, the narrative keeps you hooked, as it twists and turns around new information that could lead to probable cause and the killer at large.
Everyone seems to be running away from some problem or the other. But as the plot gets murkier, they have no alternative but to face their personal bogeys. Turner’s story is tragic. His child was taken by a predator years ago. Kyle and his then-wife Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt) were shattered and couldn’t cope with the trauma. Kyle took to the bottle and Jill fell into another man’s arms.
The National Park looks imposing and dangerous. It appears to be an ideal setting for this kind of a crime thriller. The outdoor scenes, captured in deep focus are sharp, the Yosemite landscape looks magnificent as captured by cinematographers Michael McDonough and Brendan Uegama. Natural beauty defaced by the ugliness of people inhabiting it comes out palpably. The action is combustive. The editing, pacing, sound design, and score facilitate an involving experience. The character writing is note perfect and the actors do a fantastic job keeping it consistent, rooted and authentic.
The plotting gets heavy, turbid and twisty as the six-episode limited series picks up steam. Too many cataclysmic events pile up and the eventual resolution rings false.
The actors keep the series grounded though. Bana is highly effective as Turner, a man unable to come to terms with his guilt and grief. DeWitt, manages to convey Jill’s pain without venturing into melodrama and Sam Neill as Chief Ranger Paul Souter, radiates a world weary competence that rings authentic. Untamed is an invigorating thriller aided by strong performances, an inviting visual aesthetic and a gamey pace.
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