The new HBO series “Luck” explores a complex and intriguing world that has remained relatively untapped by television — horse racing.
“Luck” follows the various types of people that frequent the horse racing community. The cast consists of gamblers Marcus (Kevin Dunn) and Jerry (Jason Gedrick), jockeys Leon (Tom Payne) and Rosie (Kerry Condon) and horse owners Walter (Nick Nolte) and Gus (Dennis Farina). Their ownership, however, is really a front for recently paroled mobster, “Ace” Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman).
Much of the show’s cast are played by veteran actors who do a wonderful job at making their roles feel true to real life. The roles could have otherwise been overplayed with clichés and histrionics by less talented performers.
The series is not based on events so much as it is series of closely observed people, focusing on how they react to one another and their surroundings.
The driving plotline is Bernstein’s story, which follows him as he tries to get revenge against his former mob bosses for putting him in prison — not through violent means, but by appealing to their greed and wallets.
Hoffman gives the best performance by creating a frequently unpredictable and nuanced role of a man who is slowly losing his mind.
Audiences never know what they’re getting into with the horse racing aspects, which sometimes throws viewers into a state of confusion. HBO deals with the labyrinth of unfamiliar terminology and situations by featuring explanatory segments with the show’s technical advisor at the end of the show. This doesn’t detract from the overall quality, as the interesting scenarios are ones that haven’t been covered elsewhere, save the 2003 film “Seabiscuit.”
The unfamiliarity provides one of the more constantly compelling aspects, keeping the audiences on their toes and challenging them to pay attention to the action taking place within the shot. This pays off later, like when a jockey doesn’t put rungs on his horse.
The horse races are undoubtedly the most exciting element at work here. The first episode, which was directed by acclaimed action director Michael Mann, lays the visual groundwork for the rest of the series, with jerky or titled shots that emphasize the movement of horses and what it’s like to be in the middle of a race. Action scenes aside, some shots express the simple beauty of a horse in motion.
This is a world that series creator David Milch knows intimately. In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, he said his introduction to horse racing started at an early age.
“My dad started taking me to Saratoga (Race Course in New York) at age 5 or 6. You have so many associations from childhood that stay with you,” Milch said.
“Luck” is often a thoughtful and knowledgeable depiction of what goes on inside and outside the track. For viewers who appreciate episodes that slowly but steadily build off of the last one, this is definitely a show to see.
Reach the reporter at tccoste1@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
