Luke Cage (TV Series 2016-) Season 1 Review (C) Dan's Movie Report

Luke Cage Season 1 Review (2016) Dan's Movie Report Exclusive! Above photo is from  Netflix at 3am! www.netflix.com

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report readers and lovers of Netflix! At 3am on September 30^th, Luke Cage was unleashed to the Eastern Time Zone! Marvel's latest blast of unrelenting unnerving superhero madness, comes in like a ton of bricks but has the heart to carry a full season. Because this is a really early review, no spoilers, no plot points, nothing just a tone and setting the mood! Basically Luke Cage is the bullet proof anti-hero, or shall we say reluctant hero. Watch for references to other Marvel Netflix shows including one character proclaiming I need to get out of Harlem and go back to Hell's Kitchen where it is safer! Ha, trust me this is a true statement, Elektra aside hahaha!

Seriously, the further the series progresses the more deep we learn of all the characters' motivations for their actions. Early on we are introduced to a central character named 'Pops' and in all actuality the story revolves around his exploits and what happened in the past and how it shapes the future.

The acting from the entire cast is top notch, however I have to make special mention of actress

Simone Missick

She has to mix it up with a boatload of fueled testosterone and absolutely kills it! She plays a detective and is a mesmerizing presence on screen. Fresh off his starring role in Paying Mr Mcgetty R Marcos Taylor gets into some killer scraps and seems to be um tossed out a window. He also gives the show a cool undertone. Of course the lead Mike Colter as Luke gives a performance nuanced and thoughtful, strong and silent, an action fury wrapped in a dichotomous body. Veteran actress Alfre Woodard is awesome, as always, consistent, as the smarmy city suit who has other agendas!

The show is supposed to be dark, and it is. This is Harlem, the streets are a rage, but there is hope with some who want to change. The cool thing about Luke Cage, is that it is a human drama, a study of foibles and consequences. This is an important show for the network, as basically this is a study of a neighborhood, and as a white man, I felt that unlike the typical vertical programming, that Luke Cage not only breaks barriers, but destroys them. This is a show for all! Luke Cage is an every-man hero, a man who wants to atone for his past sins and knows what he has to do to achieve this.

Special mention to the entire stunt crew lead by Master James Lew. I have known Master Lew for over a decade and this is a crowning achievement in action. Fights, bullets, creative uses of car doors etc! Crushing violence, but the violence has a purpose and is not the focus.

Here is to hope that the slogan in the show 'Always Forward' is used and TV and cable and all streaming services will follow this lead and make this type of programming, hard hitting, honest and full of discussion! Marvel's Luke Cage rates a 9 out of 10, this one is worth subscribing to Netflix for!