This Cinemax-aired drama centering on career criminal Lucas Hood (Antony Starr)—who poses as a small-town sheriff while continuing his exploits as a thief—is pure small screen pulp fiction. Almost every episode features a heist or robbery, gritty action scenes with visceral violence, and plenty of nudity and sex. Our anti-hero teams up with his former lover and partner-in-crime, Carrie (Ivana Milicevic), now married with two children; deals with the son of the dead man whose identity he appropriated; and goes to war with local crime lord Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen), a ruthless Amish outcast who teaches his rebellious niece his version of the family business. Tensions between the townsfolk, the Amish population, and the nearby Kinaho tribal members heat up after the murder of a young Native American girl and the disappearance of an Amish boy—a volatile situation that Sheriff Hood only makes worse with the ill-advised invasion of the reservation to question a suspect. While this standout narrative finds the series at its best—using a splashy killing to explore resentment in the community and bring antagonists together for a common mission—the rest of the show isn't always as compelling. Compiling all 10 episodes from the 2014 second season, extras include audio commentaries, “prequel” webisodes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. Somewhat uneven, but also often clever, energetic, and entertaining, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
Banshee: The Complete Second Season
HBO, 4 discs, 511 min., TV-MA, DVD: $39.98, Blu-ray: $49.99 Volume 30, Issue 2
Banshee: The Complete Second Season
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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