Trust

So, I want to start by saying this series was fricken awesome! This was my first time hearing of this kidnapping, and it felt like I was in the 70's. Great cast as well, this is hands down a good show to binge with a friend or close loved one.

I saw the movie, so I had some hesitations before giving this serie a chance. But I was pleasantly surprised. Of course they spiced it up a little, so you get a mix of something inspired on true events and a juicy family soap. If the level of production doesn't crumble (like American crime story) the following episodes, I'm in for a nice season.

8 reviews thus far, that surprises me. It also doesn't surprise me at all. It is not fast paced, semi-funny, cheap Netflix content, therefore not appreciated.

The synopsis is very interesting, the story-line intriguing. The acting rock solid, no-one exempted. Characters al have proper backstories and are interesting from the get go. The pilot had all the ingredients of a great show.

This series was artfully done, well directed and the acting was good throughout. Whole the series could've been shorter, it felt a bit drawn out, but it was also kind of incredible to see this story laid out so extensively. All in all I highly recommend it. I thought it was great. The show stealer for me was definitely Brendan Fraser as narrator in the role of Fletcher Chase. He was so good. Most definitely my favorite part of this. I've missed seeing him play leading roles. And now it won't let me post unless I've written 600 characters so here's the blah blah blah bs to meet that stupid rule. Whatever!!!!!!

I approached "Trust" with some trepidation. I let it set on the Sky Box for months, having recorded it in the summer of 2018 but not actually coming round to watching it until Easter 2019. Most of the trepidation came because I'd seen some lukewarm reviews and I had seen "All The Money In The World" that year, so was already familiar with the story. I'm glad I gave it a chance though, as with a bit of distance from the film, I found the series pretty enjoyable.

The grandson of the world's Richest Man, John-Paul Getty (Donald Sutherland) is kidnapped in Italy, but his kidnappers have not accounted for the ruthlessness of the old man, who refuses to pay the ransom. Whilst young John III's mother Gail (Hilary Swank) and Getty's "fixer" Fletcher (Brendan Fraser) attempt to determine what's happened, and even whether the kidnapping is genuine, the Italians that have him are becoming increasingly frustrated and desperate.

I think I preferred "Trust" to "All The Money In the World" as the 10 episode scope allowed for a much more detailed look at the case. A deeper investigation of the family dynamics ahead of the kidnapping and a closer look at the mechanics of the crime family that held their valuable hostage are a couple of the deeper cuts. I did worry ahead of watching the series that it would be pretty dry, but it's infused with a sense of pace, and is very well mixed with the editing and cutting in of music of the time. Performances are, across the board, excellent and much credit should go to Harris Dickinson, who is the only actor in every episode, playing John-Paul Getty III, the victim of the kidnapping. Despite his early bohemian wastrel ways, you never lose feelings for him and feel some of the peril he goes through.

It does take one huge risk, allowing Brendan Fraser's character to directly address the audience during two of the episodes. What might be jarring switch actually works quite well, as it allows to show to unload a lot of the context, and the wider resolution on you, without becoming to tiresome or protracted.

Maybe it's just that my expectations were particularly low, but I really enjoyed "Trust" - an unexpected treat.