Season 7: where billions of dreams and a secret rebellion lead not robberies in the style of Ocean's 12 friends, seemingly the end of the world of serial force majeure from the world of mad and insanely rich rich - the madmen of the modern cinema world -
18+
It's finally over! You could start and end this review, but the CP needs more words. By the will of the lord of the search for cinema, by the decree of the film-shock review will appear fully!
The rich, the richer, the more powerful they become, the more enemies, irreconcilable and insidious they make - therefore, the rich themselves become more insidious and irreconcilable in response, this is true of politics, not only of business.
In the season, a hero appeared, thanks to which the series, as it seems, ended. This character/actor left the project (for personal reasons), being the main star, one of the two main ones. Without this star (without the old tandem), perhaps many did not like the series so much (last season the ratings fell well), and therefore it was closed in the end. The actor came to the final, appearing occasionally this season. But logically, bad-for-nothing plot ended as it were.
It's great and sad when one or two actors are pulling the whole project. How many series of such we saw, when a good theme suddenly collapsed like a house of cards, collapsed, just because of leaving the project with one star or even a star (outside of these projects, those stars could not gain either fame or normal fees).
But okay. The season is partly dedicated or almost entirely to the presidential race, which was announced at the end of the previous season (the new protagonist, who came to replace the old, decided to run). It is clear that the presidential election in the United States is a show, and many TV series somehow insert such a topic into their plots, guessing the beginning of the time cycle of the next elections in the United States, but still our series was not entirely about politics from the very beginning, but just about business, stock markets and the life of billionaires (or those who dream of becoming them). Oh, come on. Perhaps the authors thought so warm up interest in the series. In part, they may have lost interest in a part of the loyal audience that has stayed with them since the beginning of the series. Not everyone really likes politics in TV shows. Politics is too much dirt, bringing the show so close to reality that you don’t notice the difference between the show and reality. And many in the series dodged just to escape from reality. After all, someone even in the States fuss around Trump, Biden and everything related to them is depressing, stressing, etc. - although the conversation in the series is not about them. Trump is a billionaire who was already president. And Donald is the first American billionaire in the history of the United States, who achieved something like his own wealth and almost at the same time became president (and not because of family ties, a strong hereditary political line, etc.), that is, in the history of the United States there were rich presidents, even slave owners, but that’s it. In its modern form, Trump is the first. It’s funny: our candidate from the series seems to be indirectly made by the authors similar in some ways to Trump, although these two personalities are essentially antipodes. Our bald man is more like Bezos.
Otherwise, as always, there are law enforcement forces in the series (prosecutors and similar ones), there are those who violate the laws in business and related fields. Some are trying to annoy others, screw something, trick them into making a mistake or breaking the law. Here it is like a fisherman and a fish, but a fish can become a fisherman, and a fisherman - a fish - the whole series was such a game alternately in cat and mouse. Only before he was much more twisted, much deeper deceived the viewer, turning everything a little more interesting by the end of each season. The first seasons were a fairy tale, then something happened to the series. I had to finish it on a high note. Greed, apparently, encouraged them to continue. And they, without bringing anything really new, just began to use the same tricks, but with a slightly updated composition, only when repeating the focus, it seemed to not work. Any magician will tell you that the spectator demands something new that he has not yet seen, a new almost magical, inexplicable deception. Telephone scammers work this way: they always invent something new or even transplant from the phone to the Internet or other channels are looking to deceive and mislead the victim. The series is ours, cheating us sweetly for several seasons, then somehow almost stopped doing it.
Or I just got bored of the series - the first and this sentence of the review is actually all I wanted to say.
Oh, come on. What did we learn from the show? You can do bad things even within the rules. You can do well by breaking the rules. There are people who receive billions from life, and when you get this, you begin to realize all your dreams (of those for which only money and power came with them) - so the embodiment of these dreams reveals a person, shows that he has inside, good or bad. It’s a good thing that not everyone gets billions. Some, after all, winning the lottery, bitterly then regret it - their dreams often lead to a dead end. Where do dreams lead us? Where will our heroes go? It’s good when we control our dreams, not our dreams, being something base. I don't want to dream at all. Strangely, I come to the conclusion that the absence of dreams for many is a blessing. Even in bayonets I can perceive those who make someone dream. How many people are morally and in different ways burned in dreams! We've seen them. We burned ourselves and came back from the ashes like modern phoenixes. It's funny, but it still hurts to burn. Some people like it all. But even without dreams, fate has prepared us a lot of things, even if you just go through life on an automatic machine, in the standard way, and not in a mess.
But tomorrow I can get up on the other foot and start dreaming again... about a new review. Who is to blame for infecting us with dreams? KP? Yes, some have a goal to fill their movie safe site with millions or billions of reviews, and we are just cogs in this, writers. Our main characters are also subject to many cogs who suffer and rejoice, fulfilling the wishes of their celestials. But these cogs can raise a rebellion (when they are unhappy with something, if the bosses stop looking after their dogs). Rebellion!! Knowing this, for example, KP always replenishes online with something fresh or lying somewhere else - cinema meat is cinema meat. In our film, the bosses of the billion-dollar and other legislative mafia watch their cogs, just like Stalin. When necessary, they can punish somehow, someone to kick out, someone to give fire to the eyes with the help of buns of all sorts like entertainment in a cult casino, trips to all sorts of cereal and other places for the rich.
Between the ages of 23 and 24, I began to become interested in entrepreneurship (I was just beginning to become interested, not becoming interested in it) and, on the advice of a young capitalist, I began watching the series. I am a village guy myself, simple, not very educated and, accordingly, did not understand anything about stock markets, headshare funds and, especially, quiz shorts. And the guy was on the contrary from a family of capitalists from a young age had access to this information (in general, Oleg’s nephew with a surname beginning in T, it so happened that by the will of my work I had experience in communicating with wealthy people).
I watched the series and did not understand anything but the intrigue between the two characters and did not even watch it.
Second view
It's been a couple years. Talking to people with seven-figure monthly incomes has borne fruit, and I've grown as well. I am 29 years old and I decided to review this series again, although this time I am already managing a company in the organizational structure of which it is necessary to divide branches into shares, their growth and sale.
And then everything started playing with new colors. The Egos of big CEOs and founders are reproduced with absolute accuracy – they are often people who move higher and prove to their previous surroundings that they can do even more. The further you move, the more you see dominance and the fewer opponents you have left. The second time I saw it, I started noticing things about communications, negotiation strategies, not talking right and left about information that you hadn't made public yet. The actors and screenwriters were well prepared and immersed in the business world. Full dive. Thanks. There is much to learn from the series.
The review was just an emotion, just free time. What was in my head was transferred to paper.
I definitely recommend those who play games with big people in the business environment.
Thanks.
“I want to be rich in order not to think about money, although the rich only think about it.” – Abel Bonnard
What's "Billions" about? That money is our everything? All, but not ours. That money is banknotes and bank accounts? Money is a way of thinking and therefore a way of life. That high reward comes with high risk? Always. The fact that a lot of money - a lot of problems, no money - problems even more? Maybe. The greater the profit, the greater the temptation to multiply it? Yeah. The more money, the more you want it? Absolutely. That the constant fear of being caught up in something by competitors and bullies equals constant tension and brainstorming? Yeah. That the subconscious expectation of betrayal with throwing knives in the back is tantamount to restless sleep and forced dialogue with a psychotherapist and personal trainer in 1 person on an almost constant basis? Yeah. That wealth makes few friends and many enemies? You bet. That in the world of big money, trust is platinum? Yes.
“Wealth does not ease our worries, but replaces some worries with others.” - Epicurus.
Bobbi Axelrod is an icon of wealth, the lord of billions, a financial shark, and money is an ocean in which only large and predatory fish swim. An investor, a broker, a leader of the deepest financial analytics and business schemes, a mastodon of the stock exchange and stock markets, a trader, Don Corleone of Wall Street and a mega-smart uncle (big money does not come to fools – the law of the genre). He is neither white nor fluffy, he is red and not perfect. He is observant, perceptive, dangerous, tough, influential, very vindictive, vindictive, quick-tempered and knows that he is invaluable, or rather his brain and ability to operate it.
“Wealth is not in the possession of treasures, but in the ability to use them.” - Napoleon Bonaparte.
He, without blinking an eye, will transfer millions of dollars to the account of someone who is able to preserve the morale of those who will bring profit to the company many times more. The awards to those who will increase his well-being and bring more income to the company are not in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but in the millions. Confident investment in smart people is the key to the success of his business ideas and their implementation. His corporation Axe Capital|Axe Capital| The axe of capital - literally - is not just his place of work - it is his offspring, offending the activities of which, all means will go into use.
A world of big money, serious competitors, powerful enemies and the struggle for survival. He is not a spoiler of fate, but only one who came from the bottom with the desire to go to the top. Money comes only to those who are willing to accept it, and huge money comes only to those who are born to accept it. He's not an elite, he's a billionaire. Success for money and money for success is not his scheme (I’ll tell you more, it’s not a billionaire’s scheme at all), he just craves what he does and is fully aware of the power of this drug.
“He who is content with himself is rich.” – Lao Tzu
His tireless rival Chuck Rhoads is not an icon of piety, he is a civil servant who, for the sake of a burning desire to bend one of the richest and most successful people in America, is ready to cross the line of prudence and risk his marriage. The one who creates lawlessness within the framework of what seems to him permissiveness, hiding behind a shield "in the name of law and justice." Does he envy Axelrod? Of course: he is tall, stately, well-groomed and just obscenely rich, and he, although a good speaker, is ambitious, not beautiful, full, rude, jealous and in some places weak-willed. 2 collided foreheads, who can exchange handshakes at the funeral, and in the walls of the prosecutor's office to masquerade each other, throwing a check in the face for almost 2 yards of green. Two, one with money as a weapon and the other with the law. Who is who?
Do they have anything in common? Of course, they both loved their beautiful wives, they have 2 children, lead a healthy lifestyle (do not smoke, do not drink – do not confuse with drink), they appreciate their work and bite the throats of anyone who gets in their way. Blackmail, threats, verbal slaps to the extreme point of anger – these tools will be used for the success of their deeds. But even in such a bloody war, respite is possible - for how long?
To say that the script was written by smart guys is to say nothing (of course, there were consultants involved). This is a caste of intellectuals who are tinkering with business, the world of big money, brokerage, investments, its procrastinations, the deepest behavioral psychology of the rich, building paths to success and competently searching for solutions to trebles, changing ups.
This series reminded me of "Force Majeure" in addition to the 4 I counted actors who lit up in both projects. What do he and “Billions” have in common besides the themes of big business and huge money?: the life of rich, and therefore intelligent and ambitious people, behind whom a certain background and clear actions to implement plans for universal success, respectable offices, a lot of expensive clothes (from practical casuala to custom suits) and accessories, richly furnished houses and apartments, expensive wheelbarrows, a collection of artistic originals, rest on a wide arm and leg, difficulties in intersex relations, a dedicated business that you love and the fear of losing everything that comes with it, countless undercovered suits to order) and accessories, richly furnished houses and expensive cars, expensive cars for the sake of your career.
Billions has more of the conventional lifestyle of the rich (a personal cook, planes/helicopters, a yacht, a desire to own your own bank and football club, and a strong belief that everyone and everything can be bought). There are many facas and few souls, but there is Maria Sharapova, all Metallica and a couple of famous personalities in the United States - all cameos. In “Force majeure” by the way also lit up Michael Phelps – celebrities as a sign of the quality of series of this kind of subject.
Damien Lewis I remember after the series "Homeland", it was only then he starred in Quentin Tarantino. Here he continues the role of a serial star, but here he is better than ever. Playing a billionaire, what could be cooler for an actor? Valuable gait in a restrained piece of debris, a freely reclining body in the chair of an expensive office, trips in steep wheelbarrows, motorcycles and turntables, climbing with models is a gift, not a role).
When does the show come out? When everything is enough, it’s always interesting, and you don’t see anyone else in the roles offered. “Billions” is just such a project – a high-quality product, the taste of which, having tried, you want more and more.
I definitely recommend watching. It is difficult not to envy the lives of the rich, but the series does not allow you to do this with 100% unambiguity, and therefore "Billions" is not just super-quality - it is a very professionally made interior for fans of series. Enjoy, and remember:
“Money is a good servant, but a bad master.” – Phineas Taylor Barnum
Really exciting series. Bright characters, great dialogue, beautiful interiors. . . But by season 5 (2020) it was a little annoying. And the creators, too, I guess. Everything went in a new circle - Chuck Rose for some reason again aimed at Bob Axe (apparently all other opponents ended), and he for some reason grabbed not for life but for death with another shark of the world of capital ... But somehow it's all without the same light. So after looking at the end of the series, I was not even upset that there is no sequel yet.
The weakest stories are usually about stock speculators and lawyers. They are some modern wizards in fashionable costumes. The first literally out of nothing (at least the scriptwriters, in order not to overload the average brain, do not go into the details of their schemes) earn nine-figure capital, and the second one successfully thrown in court phrase unfold the course of the case by 180 degrees.
Here it is in 'Billions' we were supposed to see the death bout of two modern capitalist sharks. But in fact, if in the first or second season the intrigue is still somehow warmed up, then the plot quickly (and without much reason, but does the writers need it?) turns into a farce and the original idea of the series is completely distorted. If in the first season it was proposed to choose who you like more from two negative characters, but around them were positive, now there are no positive characters at all, as well as interest in their fate.
Starting with season 3, it becomes especially noticeable that the series is based only on the rating and signs of its fall force the writers to come up with new ridiculous plot moves to stimulate the audience interest.
I want to talk about actors separately. They are either grotesquely convex, causing nothing but hostility (and there are no positive characters in the series, see above), or vice versa absolutely flat and not causing any emotions. Damien Lewis and Asia Kate Dillon are the only ones who look convincing in their role, Maggie Siff never looks like a femme fatale, spinning both husband and boss. And traders are just complete infantile misery, nothing to do with the reality of their role have.
The picture is also boring, almost all the action takes place in the same interiors, and consists of conversations of varying degrees of expressiveness, the action is completely absent.
Well, the most important disadvantage is that the plot is simply not interesting, there is no intrigue, events and characters do not develop, but only react to external stimuli in the form of introducing new characters into the series.
Perhaps in this review I will express not very popular opinion about the series 'Billions'.
If we talk about the series as a whole, then it can be compared to a magnificent dish filled with the whole palette of tastes and aromas. Such a dish would not be shameful to serve in the most famous restaurants, if not for one but, it has too much salt. For the series, the salt is excessive citation. To the place and not to the place, in a family conversation or in business negotiations, the scale of citation has no limits.
Don’t get me wrong, the series is great. The plot is deep and exciting, within one series the alignment of forces can change several times. The behind-the-scenes intrigues of big politics and business are conveyed simply incomparable, the series is really interesting to watch. I would especially like to mention Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhodes, watching his character, it is impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Also admires the involvement of the actor in the filming process, which is just a scene where Chuck pierces his nipple with a paper clip and as if nothing had happened continues his dialogue.
That is why I am upset to the depths of my heart by the fact that I, who watched 3 seasons in a rush, continue watching with each episode with great difficulty. The series is really good if it were not for the persistent desire of directors and writers to pay tribute to numerous films, books, cultural events, outstanding personalities, etc. At first, it seems imperceptible, but when the euphoria from the plot turns passes, the characters become familiar, and their actions are understandable, this direct quote causes more and more irritation. I wouldn’t have any questions if the show was about artists, musicians or filmmakers. Here it is similar ' awareness' the characters look as inorganic and illogical as possible.
I am very disappointed that the directors and screenwriters of this tape have taken the lead of modern fashion for nostalgia and references. I understand their desire, but unfortunately in their desire they lost their sense of proportion, spoiling a great series!
7.8 out of 10
The series attracts mature and attentive to detail people. Its value is in that psychological depth, which is very difficult to see in real life, and to show it in the movies is doubly difficult. There's a lot about tactics and strategy in business, about negotiation, about living in wealth and keeping it, about the balance between life and business, about passion for work, about the values of those people who move this world. This series is about the mental organization of people who set high or not very goals and live for them, and how they interact with each other. To understand the beauty and greatness of this series, you need to read more than one book and live more than a dozen years. There are some inconsistencies, but they are like small irregularities of the big picture, do not spoil the overall image. The only thing I notice is that the series is good until the end of season 4, what happens next? Can they keep the bar high? Fingers crossed.
This is how I describe the motives of all the main characters in this series. The series itself can be called these three words. For this place will go on heads, get ready.
This series is a bit lost among the other major releases of recent years, but I assure you – it is a real diamond, every minute of which is worth your time.
And now I will try to convince you why I recommend Billions.
Let's figure it out.
Scenario.
Interesting and intriguing in all aspects. Here you are shown global schemes of financial fraud, illegal speculation in the stock market, and the intricacies of the work of the federal prosecutor’s office in such trifles that it is better not to think about it again. All the dialogues in the series, like a small holiday, the words of the characters do not pass by us, but are remembered in the form of phraseology. Even though many things can be difficult to understand.
Acting play.
I absolutely believe and admire that Paul Giamanti and Damian Lewis have created great images, filled them with life. There is no doubt that this is a movie or a script. Each character is revealed as much as necessary. I am sure you will find your favorite character – I found them all at once.
Plot.
The screen has two titans: ambitious billionaire Bobby Axelrod and principled federal prosecutor Chuck Rhodes, whose ideal career requires continuation, namely the arrest of Bobby. So a real fight is born, around which all the threads of events will twist. It is impossible to untwist them, so confusing.
The two giants are united by one man, Wendy Rhodes. This beautiful person is the wife of Chuck and part-time psychologist Axelrod. One, fragile at first glance, the lady manages to collect pieces spoiled by money and temptations, rich traders and keep in the ranks of her influential husband.
The main one can also be called the character of Toby Leonard Moore - Brian Connorty. The second joker, who leads the plot, personifies youthful maximalism and wants to act always honestly, so that his conscience does not gnaw at night. . .
The series plunges from the first episode into a real battle, or rather a war of good and evil. Only this is who is good and who is evil is not clear.
Each character has both a good and a bad side, is multifaceted - what only increases the interest of the viewer. You don't know where you're going to shoot or where you're going to be in a couple of episodes.
Of course, the plot of Billions leads us through the season to the climax, namely the meeting of our heroes in the most unexpected place and status.
But I assure you, you will not be bored and the template of the series, though observed, but not noticeable. Any minor character can turn into the main character in a couple of minutes and play its key role in the development of the plot.
Visual component.
She's at the highest level. The aesthetics of a rich life, the conversations of the feds in narrow corridors, atmospheric meetings in the mirror futuristic building of Axelrod. Billions at every turn, from endless amounts of expensive costumes and cars to the value of the characters’ brilliant minds.
I want to emphasize that the series is dialogue, the action here is only in words to atmospheric music. It’s made for an audience that wants to hear and listen. With popcorn and fun friends, you better watch a sitcom. All the main events have hidden connotations, there is something to think about and think about alone. The range of problems covered by copyright interest is striking. There's enough problems for everyone. Here you and social, philosophical, moral and ethical. Take each episode for hours on topics to think about.
Result
In Billions, you will find people climbing up the social ladder from the bottom up; people who start their careers from the top with the help of their parents and all they need is to stay afloat; people of different social status and earnings. Some are ready to eat others, but others can only weave intrigues, afraid of meeting face to face.
That's just one thing they all have in common - the desire to get their place under the sun, no matter what.
10 out of 10
I watched season 4 with a certain amount of fun, but I had to quit. For one unexpected, but even more annoying reason: all the characters of this very good overall series are sick with a rare progressive mental illness - a tendency to movie quotes.
And to the place, and not to the place, and in the context, and without it – a plentiful stream of heroes poured film quotes from American, and from European film classics. Often a few pieces for a short dialogue. And it would be fine if one of the heroes, or one of their group, fell ill (well, let’s say, the geniuses of Wall Street really have nothing more to do than memorize the Matrix and the Lion King by heart to wrap a quote in business negotiations, because all these stock brokers are famous hiccans, oga). But no, everyone's sick. From Attorney General to Cleaner.
Even the Russian mafia could not fail to pay tribute to the film and music culture of Pindos. It turns out that he literally grew up on it, and manages to turn some very unobvious things into dialogues, even if you assume that he might have heard about them glimpses of an immigrant in Brighton. I think there is nothing to speculate about whether he could fall in love with them, living in the former CIS.
In general, you can not just take and connect two words without flavoring them with a dull movie quote. It was funny, but then it just started getting boring. It seems that the writers decided to reward all their characters with their limitations, and talk to them in their own language. We need treatment.
Since the second season, I wanted to write a review of this series, but I was hesitant. Now I have given myself the installation to smear it mercilessly:
1. Let’s start with my favorite story. What to say, the usual story about two enemies, smeared in 4 seasons and tied to one woman. History is so transparent! I predicted the end at the end of the first season. If you single out some moments, then sometimes it becomes generally ashamed of the director and screenwriter.
2. Heroes, and here are more details:
Axe is sweet, too sweet, too perfect. Perfectly good and perfectly bad. At first, the billionaire was made a superhero: Damn smart, damn interesting, damn rich, damn good family man, damn workaholic who got it all by himself. Call him bad? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Everyone seems bad in the background!
Wendy is a psychology genius. Monster, titan, superhero number two. Reading everyone like a book, somehow randomly (most likely because of paragraph 1) was between Peter Pan and Captain Hook: between sweet Ax - her boss and the ill-fated prosecutor Chuck - her husband. She is literally torn, wants to please both ours and yours, but how is it, there is a favorite job, and there is a beloved husband. You can talk about this absurdity forever!
Chuck-- made him vile, sluggish, the exact opposite of Ax. What are Chuck's good qualities? Just that he's a workaholic too, but who's trying to prove he's cool for cool? Or that they gave him an addiction to bdsm? What kind of hero are you, Chuck? The wrestler is no, the principled beast is yes.
3. Everything else is not bad - acting, shooting, scenery, etc. But it doesn’t work because there’s no truth, there’s no sincerity. Everything is fake and fake, the whole fucking plot that planted everything distinctively good! In the genre column in Kinopoisk there is a “drama”, which should be changed to “fiction” as soon as possible, because this is another fact of lies in the whole story.
The director is burdened with nothing but his brilliant ideas.
A curious niche product from a well-known major, HBO mainly attracts two components: extremely smart dialogue and interesting main characters. If we talk about the first, it is something similar to ' verbal action' that is inherent in Tarantino's films. Dialogues in 'Billions' very witty, filled with many stylistic figures and references (from history to movies). And the most important (and part-time - the second) - in the series, each character has weight and is not lost. So, for example, a secondary, seemingly inconspicuous hero, by the middle of the season is untwisted so that on equal terms confronts the protagonist. In general, we seem to be watching a chess game, where in some situations we are from the debut immediately to the endgame, and in others (for example, the main confrontation between Axelrod and Chuck) – a protracted middlegame.
' Billions' is a subtle political and economic struggle for a place under the sun where every move, every circumstance has a meaning and consequences; where nothing happens for nothing, but can at some point unfold the plot 180 degrees. Here all the participants ' games ' act logically and thoughtfully, here you will not see the simple: the rebound - denouement - culmination, the characters are constantly thinking about the actions, looking for the slightest details and threads that can be grasped, and even when it happens - the confrontation continues, because no one intends to give up in the world of big money. How is the project different from these? First of all, there are not many competitors. Then there is no extra pathos, although it would seem. . But it is. And most importantly - bright colorful characters of all stripes, the aforementioned dialogues, the script, and, of course, to see how cool uncles react to constant mutual attacks.
39 Take a part of yourself and hide away in the basement. All that is left to work, but save this piece. '
Of course, Billions do not claim to be a masterpiece. You won’t find catharsis or a flood of humor here, but you can witness a fascinating game of cats – the mouse of a principled prosecutor and a charismatic billionaire. By the way, I am surprised that the series does not have a single Golden Globe nomination for actors. Probably because the field is now terrible competition, but I think ' Billions' will make you pay attention.
8.5 out of 10
One of the best shows I've seen lately. I'll bet you a good ten. Interesting, dynamic, unpredictable. There is no such thing as being bored.
The first episode was unimpressive at first. I don't understand why Billions have such high ratings. But I decided to continue watching and did not lose. You just had to get into the story, get acquainted with the characters to start getting high.
I really like how the characters are written. You are constantly revealing them deeper and deeper from different sides, changing your opinion about them. Although they remain the same people, and there is no contradiction in their behavior. It makes sense, which is what I love. At the same time, the characters and the plot are constantly surprising.
There are no inexplicable miracles that cover up illogicalities in poorly written scenarios. Here the plot is multi-layered, with different lines, a large number of heroes. A lot of things that continue after many, many series. And the authors twist in such a way that it does not seem far-fetched.
The most interesting, of course, to watch the two main characters - billionaire Bobby Axelrd (Ax) and the Prosecutor of the Southern District of New York Chuck Rhodes. The whole series is built on their confrontation. At first it seems that only Axe is a genius, but then it turns out that Rhodes is no worse in thinking through brilliant solutions and multi-step games.
I don’t remember where I’ve seen such an interesting story lately. It seems that the filmmakers are as brilliant and able to think through many moves forward as their characters. It’s nice to be treated with respect as a viewer.
There is always a mystery, which then gradually unravels. For example, Axe's wife at the beginning of the series comes into conflict with one character. And you think she's such a rich bitch eating? Ahn no. Absolutely not. She knows what she came out of and she always remembers it. Wisely teaches sons that situations in life can be very different, and one should value the means.
She really is a tough person. Her methods may be unpleasant, but watching her interesting. The resolution of one of the situations was presented with humor, when women were scratching, not calling things by their proper names, but everyone was more than clear.
Nuances, detective moves, reflections on the actions of the heroes and their motivation, watching the work of brilliant minds - this gives pleasure.
Personally, I like Axelrod better. However, I am rooting for Rhodes when he is on the carpet in their fight. Rhodes, who beat himself in the chest with his fist that he is the most honest and always for law and justice, turns out to be able to commit quite vile, in my opinion, acts. Surprisingly, he still believes that he is doing the right thing. So furiously wants to hide Axelrod for his illegal activities, and he does the same.
We observe a behind-the-scenes game of officials and politicians, which is not visible behind the headlines about the verdicts of the court. Something like House of Cards, where it’s just as interesting to watch the multi-step moves, victories and defeats among politicians. Only House of Cards, in my opinion, is more rigid, which is why at some point I stopped watching it. Here you can rest while enjoying the twists and turns. Although the fate of some of the victims of the games of the main characters of mere mortals, which we were shown only a couple (of course, more), makes you think.
One last thing. At first, I couldn't understand why Rhodes' wife Wendy was working for Axe, why this line. She was disturbing me, seemed uncomfortable, strange. It wasn’t until the third season that it gained all its significance. This woman, in my opinion, is the nail and the reason for everything that happens. And it's very interesting. And even if it is not as pure and principled as it seems, then what will happen next?
That’s the point that none of them are uniquely positive or negative. But everyone is sympathetic. And each of them is very smart and smart, their words and actions cause increased attention and often admiration.
Even Axe's assistant, funny Wags, more like a jester and a drunkard, turns out to be seven inches in the forehead. No wonder he works at Axe Capital, there are no others. At the moment, I am following with interest the new hero neither man nor woman Taylor Mason, played by Asia Kate Dillon.
Initially, she entered this series because of Damien Lewis, the famous Brody from Homeland. I wanted to see him in other roles. Above all praise. Every actor is in his place. I do not know who could replace them in this most interesting world of rotation with billions of dollars and destinies.
10 out of 10
Billions is an example of an extremely high-quality tailored series with an interesting plot, which conquers with its attention to detail, the entourage of a rich American life, excellent play of diverse actors and cinematography. I don't understand why he hasn't yet taken his rightful place on the TV series Olympus and in the ratings of a large audience! For the third season, I watch this series and get aesthetic pleasure.
The essence of the series: in the expanses of New York, due to the circumstances, begins a global confrontation between two outstanding figures in his case: financier Bobby Axelrod, owner of his own fund “Axe Capital”, and federal prosecutor Chuck Rhodes. The piquancy of the situation adds that Rhodes' wife works as a psychologist in the company of Axelrod. Of course, this is an extremely simplified retelling of the plot: the series has plenty of other, no less colorful characters, with their stories and cockroaches in their head, as well as interesting storylines. Involuntarily you realize that you enjoy the conflict taking place on the screen, and refuse to empathize with only one of the parties.
I will note the beautiful cast of the series: the owner of the Golden Globes Damian Lewis (Axelrod) is known for his roles in the explanatory series “Homeland” and “Brothers in arms”, and twice “globusbearer” Paul Giamatti is known for the paintings “John Adams”, “Illusionist”, “Nockdown”. Definitely note the game David Costabile (he is great!), Maggie Siff, Kelly AuCoin, Jeffrey DeMann and others.
Is that why this series is really good? There are two charismatic heroes, the confrontation between which is like a perfectly calculated game of chess. Everything is calculated to the smallest detail, and even in the most hopeless situations, the heroes find an option for salvation, taking trump cards from their sleeves, which turn out to be part of their global plan. There is an intrigue in the series, but it is minimal!
There is excellent dialogue and atmosphere. I admire the writers of “Billions”, thanks to which the speech of the characters, most of whom are well educated, is filled with references to cinema, the world of music, history and other spheres. Heroes constantly quote someone, compare their life situations with similar stories from world history, trump excellent knowledge of the laws and details of public life. To fully understand the thoughts and humor of the main characters, you need to be familiar with American and even world pop culture. The series is woven into modernity, the characters ride Tesla and walk with “dozens”, in some episodes there are invited celebrities: Sharapova, Kevin Durant, Metallica, Nusret Goekce (this is a man who pours salt on meat funny, everyone remembers this video; he has his own restaurant in New York)! That's really cool!
The biggest plus is the locations! These are offices on Wall Street; penthouses and meeting rooms, furnished in the classic style of the 19th century; diners and well-known in New York catering enterprises (even the Ukrainian cafe Veselka and Russian baths lit up). The city is shown as it is: with a heap of centuries-old traditions and a mixture of a huge number of cultures. The series includes Russian, Chinese and Japanese speech!
In general, “Billions” is for aesthetes from the world of cinema! Caressing soundtracks and dialogues filled with deep meaning with a thousand references, good acting, stunning views of the financial capital of the world, an unbanal plot. Anyone who wants to plunge into the abyss of financial and secular life of America, please!
10 out of 10
To paraphrase the main character, I would say that I could put the highest score on the third season, like the first two, but... why don’t I want to? Because the series is suspended in a borderline state; it has moved away from the direct and fundamental clash between business and law, but has yet to find something as poignant and interesting. The next season will be decisive: either the writers will find strong ideas for the continuation of the two main characters out of conflict, or the series will go out like House of Cards after the second season.
I can only call the naked Asia Dillon a serious disadvantage here, but this nightmare is adequately compensated by the aesthetic of BDSM with Maggie Siff. It is especially beautiful here, by the way, because it begins to use psychology and sexuality in its own interests, which is no less power than money or law. Other characters develop organically and curiously. Among the new ones, I would like to mention only that the girl-broker in Axe’s office and his hackers, who are very good in the aspect of updating crime.
Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised to see John Malkovich as a Russian criminal oligarch. Especially in the scene of his communication with Sharapova in Russian. References are many and references are still cool, as, for example, negative, but damn successful to SpaceX Elon Musk. The plot develops logically and interestingly, i.e. it is still the best drama on modern television, it just lacks the tension that was in each scene of the second season - for this and lower the rating.
9 out of 10
Watched the third season of “Billions”, which as of now is the favorite series of all. If you don’t remember, the conflict between the oligarch and the prosecutor was in the public interest. The prosecutor was definitely flawed, squeamish, the means he had were such that greatly discredited the goals, and yet the struggle of the titans and mastodons was painted in the colors of ambiguous evil with a compromised, as it were, public good. In the third season, all the characters, through the efforts of the screenwriters, committed a Jewish sin, rose to the level of total inferno, in connection with which events represent a war of bastards. And Wendy, for the time being trying to keep her balance, became the perfect Lady Macbeth. The bastards are amazingly textured, their number has increased: of the major players – the Prosecutor General and the Russian mafia with the performance of John Malkovich. As soon as the character Giamatti finally ceased even to cling to ideals, to share them with Ax became and nothing. If the first two seasons were a whale fight with an elephant, in the third season, the wrestlers realized that there was no difference between them and decided to act as a front against a brilliant autistic woman, a mafia man and the attorney general. I'm sure there'll be a few less evil ones added. The fourth season will be, Mom, don’t worry. The total lack of positive characters and light brings Billions closer to House of Cards. It is clear that the series, in which no one was killed during the season, consisting of a solid talk room, should not please everyone. Since all participants belong to a privileged closed class, they are expressed exclusively in unshaken quotations, analogies and allusions. All this is closer to the colorful Chinese tradition than to conventional reality. Without knowing any secondary media, sports and historical characters, I definitely lose some of the saturation in perception (well, as if Americans were watching a Russian TV series, the characters of which would mention Vitas, Mizulina, sosuli or Kuraev through the word), and yet the game of beads is fascinating. Outstanding casting, a lot of secondary bright types and the amazing speech of the father of the prosecutor as an instruction to the unlucky wife how to behave.
8 out of 10
It is impossible not to compare this series with the Wolf of Wall Street. Same theme, but stretched into the series. And that's more bad than good. What Scorsese put in one funny and dynamic film, the authors of Billions stretched for three seasons.
Rapid reviews and high ratings result in high expectations. But is the show bad? Absolutely not.
Damian Lewis looked great in his homeland, where he was in his place as a secretive cold-blooded soldier who faced a difficult choice. In Billions, he wasn't impressed, to put it mildly. After the inimitable Steve Buscemi in the sidewalk Empire, the bar of charisma for serial Glavgers rose very high. Damian Lewis doesn't play that role. He's not a billionaire, he's his driver, at best. For this role, you had to take either an actor with good facial expressions or a supercharismatic actor. Lewis just changes his masks, bows his head, opens his mouth, like mysteriously silent. Not impressed.
But in the case of his wife, it was possible to reveal more. And the actress is great, and the character could be brighter. But no, in the beginning it was shown from the cool side, and then it was just for the background. Sorry.
Paul Giamatti looks better than Lewis, more facial expressions, more clearly spelled character. You'd rather believe him than not. And of course, the authors added strawberries in the form of perversion. Cheap trick. And if the organ in the bushes in the form of an influential father can still be accepted, then his wife with a conflict of interests is just a spit at the viewer from lazy screenwriters.
All his subordinate lawyers are a total nightmare (not as actors, but as characters). No clarity, no characters, extras for stretching timekeeping.
Some minor characters were pleased, for example, the posh lawyer Axelrod or just a space bureaucrat-nerd-careerist performed by Christopher Denham. But how few of them on the screen!
However, the series is addictive, although there are few unexpected twists. Lack of humor. I want to shout to the characters: why are you so serious? I wanted to start praising, but it didn’t work.
It just so happens that in relation to the series, I am extremely conservative. With the exception of the Westeros saga and the new Sherlock, all the other novelties make me bored and sometimes disgusted. But at the insistence of a friend, I decided to watch the work with an uncomplicated name “Billions”. Just 12 episodes. I think that can be handled... When it comes to serial films, I like to watch them tastefully, savoring every episode. My limit is one series in two days. This allows you to comprehend the work and stretch the pleasure of watching. So, slowly, a couple of days ago I finished watching this dramatic television series and managed to make a complete impression about it.
I have never written a series review before. I don’t know which side to take, so I’ll improvise. The most important part of the series is its main characters. All the long narrative somehow revolves around them, so the characters should not just be interesting or original. They must be wildly charismatic, brutal and full of mysteries. Otherwise, the series will automatically fail. In "Billions" viewers are incredibly lucky - there are two such heroes. And to be honest, both heroes are amazing. Even 12 episodes later, I can't claim to have understood the characters by half. Both Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoads turned out to be complete personalities, with a rich inner world. The world, which, however, is completely closed to the audience. Only occasionally do writers throw us tiny facts from their lives. Axe's hard childhood. Diploma from the prestigious Rhoads Law School. The first part-time job of the future head of a multi-billion dollar fund. A youthful fascination with the prosecutor's chess. Operating with these pieces, the audience is given the opportunity to recreate the lives of the heroes. And understand what drives them. Oh yes! I don't know about you, but my desire to understand the motives of the actions of the heroes sometimes went to obsession. Why does Ax need the money? What is he going to do with his condition? Why is Roads so obsessed with fighting dirty business?
A significant positive feature of the film is that there are no fully positive or completely negative characters in the series. Speaking of the main characters, sometimes you admire the tenacity of Axelrod, and sometimes it causes a sense of disgust with his snobbery and desire to dominate people. In the same way, the prosecutor’s incredible determination is sometimes striking. And sometimes, the audience turns away from his nervousness and dirty methods. With secondary heroes, things are no worse. The wife of the prosecutor is a confident woman who knows exactly what she wants, but at the same time a cold calculating bitch. The guys from the hedge fund are a money-hungry gang of traders, which, however, does not prevent them from being interesting and funny guys who go through life without straining.
I often caught myself thinking that the expectation of a new episode is not due to the desire to learn the next plot twist, but to the need to get new facts about the lives of the characters. Billions is built around characters, both primary and secondary. The plot is not trivial, but the series is a deep study of the fate of people in the world of big money. In this respect, Billions is a worthy successor to the glorious tradition of Stone’s Wall Street and Yanger’s Boiler.
On top of that, the series, in a playful manner, addresses the fundamental question of what matters most: money or principles. The Money Party is represented by Axelrod, while Chuck Rhoads stands for the Party of Principles. And since neither the billionaire nor the prosecutor is far from perfect, the choice of the party is entirely up to the viewer. This brilliant move by the writers creates a kind of test that gives the viewer the opportunity to understand who he really is. I made a choice for myself. I know who I’ll be cheering for while watching the series. I will write about it in the review for the second season.
I think I'll give myself a little break. And when the desire to learn the continuation of the story of the confrontation between the prosecutor on Wall Street and the upstart billionaire becomes unbearable, I will sit down to watch the second season of this more than worthy series.
Bobby Axelrod: What have I done wrong? Really? Except make money. Succeed. All these rules and regulations - arbitrary.
Billions seems to be one of the few shows that only get better with each season. After watching season 2, I can’t help but share my thoughts on this show.
The plot of the series - the ambitious district attorney of the state of new York Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti) tries to catch in the machinations of the arrogant and selfish owner of the hedge fund Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). The piquancy of the situation is given by the fact that Chuck's wife Wendy Rhodes (Maggie Siff) works as a psychoanalyst and motivator in Axelrod's firm - Axe Capital. The close relationship between Axelrod and Wendy spells Chuck. This fact, as well as suspicions of dishonesty of Axelrod’s methods in the stock market and Chuck’s personal dislike of Blue Collar & #39 on Wall Street, motivate him to declare war on Axelrod. Let the Inquisition begin!
If after the paragraph above you get the impression that this is another soap opera, then no! And to prove it to you, here are two facts: 1) it is Showtime and a rather sharp topic that worries many in the United States and 2) the cast is a priori so beautiful and strong that a soap opera will not work.
Over the confrontation of the heroes is really interesting to watch. That Paul Giamatti that Damian Lewis created very vivid images of their characters - each of them at some point sympathize, and then the hero will do something that causes great hostility. The series is filled with smart dialogue, where every conversation leads to something - the characters rarely say something just to kill screen time. The secondary characters do not lag behind, it is very interesting to follow their actions and the acting of the actors. Season 1 ends on a tense note, and I really want to continue. Season 2 develops slowly at first, the characters are rocking, we learn a lot about them, but since the 3rd series it is increasingly difficult to break away, the plot is swinging faster and faster, the intrigues and dirty tricks of the characters directed against each other are becoming more insidious and sophisticated, and the culmination promises to be very interesting.
And here is another interesting fact - some moves of the characters, despite their insidiousness, you can predict, but the creators of the series will keep the intrigue to the very end, forcing the viewer to doubt their suspicions, and only the most persistent viewer will remain with his initial opinion. Not for nothing among the writers Aaron Sorkin!
The series is based on a real confrontation between a US prosecutor and a hedge fund manager. The financiers will discover little new for themselves from a technical point of view, and the inhabitants will not always understand what the characters are talking about. However, their main actions are presented in accessible language. By the way, I advise you to watch either in the original with subtitles or in translation from NewStudio, so that the bright vocabulary of the characters is not lost in the translation process.
The series is highly recommended to anyone who likes serious topics in an entertaining format. This is definitely not the series ' for the background '. You need to immerse yourself in it with all your attention, and then he will definitely not leave indifferent! I’m looking forward to the final episode of Season 2 and I’m looking forward to Season 3.
Every year, filmmakers willingly capture a particular trend, which methodically and rapidly turn into the main phenomenon of the year. This year was no exception to previous years, the main theme of the year was the topic of confrontations. Batman unexpectedly decided to fight Superman, the villain of the franchise “Call” Sadako decided to compete with the “villain” from the rival “Curse”, and Tony Stark and Captain America gave free rein to their feelings and decided to clean each other’s snouts. Actually, like all the other heroes from the blockbuster “First Avenger: Confrontation”. That’s not left aside this series created by Brian Koppelman, David Levin and Andrew Ross Sorkin, who, unlike the Uber plans of their colleagues in the workshop, decided to demonstrate in his brainchild a confrontation of a different type and format.
The whole series is a rather in-depth excursion into the concept of capitalism and the American way of life. Hence, the conflict between the two main characters of the series is more obvious than ever. On the one hand, we see a successful businessman who does not hesitate to go against the law to cut down at least a seven-figure sum of money. On the other hand, an ambitious prosecutor who is so obsessed with the desire to nail an insolent entrepreneur that even he sometimes does not hesitate to step outside the legal framework.
It cannot be said that the series turned out to be the same high-profile event of the year, as it was called by admired critics and viewers. Nevertheless, it turned out a very not bad drama series that will not find a response in the hearts of ordinary popcorn viewers who want to relax while watching the series from working days. When fans of the “disparagement” of laws and smart dialogues, numerous intrigues, scandals and fake tricks will certainly be satisfied with what they see.
The series begins very cheerfully and even ambitiously. Almost from the very beginning, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of confrontation between two strong personalities, the conflict of which is revealed above all praise. Not only motivating the actions of the main characters, but also revealing their drama from both a positive and negative point of view. However, closer to the middle of the season, the series slowly begins to loosen its grip and what at the very beginning looked certainly interesting, alas, in the end turns into normal automatism and the principle - "we must see to the end."
Definitely, the series drags on its shoulders a magnificent acting duo Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti. Both actors have clearly played some of the strongest in their work in recent years. Since I have not seen such a dissolution in my images and nature in the depiction of characters for a long time. They do not just play, but live and are their characters on the screen. Especially Lewis. All the other actors of the series in the face of Maggie Siff, Malin Ackerman, Toby Leonard Moore, David Costabile and others are good. Let their characters be only a noticeable decoration of the general facade of what is happening. No more than that.
6 out of 10
Billions is a very ambitious and tightly executed drama series. Although the second half of the season does not look as strong and dynamic as the first, the series certainly holds the quality frame for all 12 episodes. Not only an interesting story, but also the brightest performance of Lewis and Giamatti, who easily turn all this fantasy into reality.
The TV channel that gave us ' Dexter', 'Homeland', 'Shameless' and 'Pleasant California' presents... A new player in the arena of modern TV, which over the past few years has turned into a blazing battlefield. But I will not torment you, greet with stormy applause, the series ' Billions'! A harsh cocktail of writers ' Friends of Ocean' and directors responsible for many iconic projects, including Neil Berger, who directed the original film ' Areas of Darkness' (as well as a couple of episodes of the eponymous series). Can you imagine what that could do? And it turned out, without further exaggeration, one of the best television projects at the moment. And let him drown in the wave of other serial releases, not receiving proper attention from the public. I simply could not pass by this product now, I will try to explain as easily as possible why I want to advise ' Billions' to every lover of good cinema.
The first and main point is the actors, 'Millards' abound with colorful personalities of lyceums who have repeatedly proven their ability to play. The cast includes Damian Lewis, who got the role of multibillionaire Bobby Axelrod. A broken, cruel, angel with a soul of a bastard. Here is Paul Giamatti, who has taken on the image of the New York County Attorney General, whose ideal career requires a graceful trophy like the Axelrod trial. There is also a recent favorite of TV fans, Toby Leonard Moore ('Daredevil') in the role of Assistant Prosecutor, honest and sincere believe in the punitive letter of the law. But the impressive cast is not confined exclusively to the major players. Supporting actors also do not disappoint, corresponding to the brand of quality of the series.
The second thing the series has to offer 'Billions' is the script. Intriguing and interesting in all aspects, from the small details of a wealthy family’s life to global schemes of financial fraud and illegal stock market speculation. Every dialogue in the series is like a small holiday, the words do not pass by, but remain in your head. Even though many things can be quite difficult to understand. The team of writers did a great job, both on the development of the characters, and on the story, developing gradually, preparing to deliver a sharp blow that you do not expect.
The third is the visual component, the aesthetic of a rich life and office conversations in the narrow corridors of the Financial Bureau. The series is damn beautiful, justifying its title as much as possible. ' Billions' Feel in everything, in expensive costumes, in constantly changing sports cars and other attributes of a luxurious life available to the elite layers of society. There is no place for sheep, join the wolves or get out of the way ' bloodthirsty funders' stuffing wallets at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Over. The series ' Billions' a perfect example of the fact that not everything is 'gold' what they say. The project did not go into the mainstream, lost in the background, but I assure you – it will not last long. I assure you, ' Golden Globes' for TV Drama will disassemble this series. Writers and actors will get their way. 'Showtime' once again proves their selectivity and flair, giving light to a beautiful work in every sense.
The series is likely to become one of the pillars of an unusual genre: an economic and legal drama that keeps the viewer in suspense, despite the almost complete absence of action scenes or special effects as such.
The businessman and his team, which looks more like a mafia gang, will resist the grotesquely impartial hand of justice represented by prosecutors. The main characters are led by the parties - geniuses who abandoned the lifestyle of mere mortals. Such social chess players, whose combinations are constantly accompanied by surprised and admiring exclamations of subordinates.
The series is unpredictable, it is never known in advance which event is a clever idea of the protagonist, and which is a mere coincidence.
There are a lot of words in the film, and it seems that each episode lasts much longer than an hour. I think it's more of a plus.
A special mention deserves the charismatic character of D. Costabail.
Blooming raspberries,
There are different kinds of creatures.
There is no bread, but full of gutalin.
Let the humpbacked leader mock -
From the song "Gleb Zheglov and Volodya Sharapov"
I'm watching this series translated by Lost. I write a review after watching the 8th episode of the 1st season, the last on today's translated series.
If you pick up a brief analogy to the viewed part of the drama, it surprisingly accurately fits into the “Meeting Place can not be changed”. Namely, in the famous episode, where the opera is peculiarly communicate with the hucksters (Kuravlev and Sadalsky). This is how it was under Soviet rule.
"Warr should be in prison!!!" And they were really afraid of "garbage."
And why are we told that even the president of the country can be imprisoned there if he breaks the laws?
Although this drama does not refer to a specific U.S. law, but clearly sounds appeal to universal morality: “You can not use insider normalization”, which translated into philistine language sounds approximately as “You can not cheat when playing cards.” But at the same time, the prosecutor himself cheats, getting to his ward through other laws, as Gleb cheated with his wallet to put Brick.
But the indignation in the first series that Axelrod does not produce anything sounds childishly envious.
The American dream, where taking the opportunity to succeed when he introduces himself, is normal even for the son of the poor, faced a proletarian obstacle in the form of a man in power, the son of a millionaire, who wants to see the world of achieving the American dream fair, honest and crystal clear, "like the Pope." This is the struggle of contradictions in this utopian film.
The script sins excessive pathosnost, but I am interested in the still much confused intrigue, which in the first series looks overblown and far-fetched, as well as the behavior of people who, although they behave smoothly, as if playing along with the writers, but in general create the rhythm of a well-established storyline, like cogs and spoons in the clock mechanism.
Images are blurred, generalized, not individualistic, which usually causes me boredom in films, but here they are extreme, assertive, such livers from the modern American metropolis, well aware of what they live for.
Many points have not yet been fully disclosed. Some of them are moving slowly.
The role of the prosecutor’s wife, who works as a staff analyst for Axelrod, is not yet fully understood. From the outside, a woman seems to position herself correctly for both her husband and her employer, so that the wolves are fed and the sheep are intact, and it seems as if she has perfectly settled as a gray cardinal in life. But sometimes this system fails. For example, when she absurdly pulls the blanket over herself, confessing to her husband that she specifically provoked him to look for work, and knew how it would end. Or when he says the unspeakable to his husband that Axelrod actually allowed himself to pay attention to them for her (in one of the outlets). Although we were shown in the first minutes of the series a non-trivial relationship in the intimate sphere of this couple, but, in my opinion, the behavior of this lady is off the scale. But it is possible that these are hints at a significant puzzle, still hidden from our eyes about her and her employer or his firm.
Very successful work of dubbing actors. All three main characters sound perfectly in timbre, intonation and tone, which seem more convincing than the voices of the actors in the original.
PS: Do you remember the chic moment where Smoked in the brilliant performance of Kuravlev, spitting on his fingers, quickly counts honestly earned at the table rubles Zheglova, and he refuses, and to the stunned look of the junkies beautifully and dignified explains that they are with him from different dough made? And here we see the same thing when prosecutor Chuck Rhodes refuses to accept a better job offer, where he will not only be paid 12 times more, but also become a partner, and he just like Gleb refuses. But if for Gleb the squeamish rejection was a demonstration of his superiority of an honest working man over a criminal, and then an employee of Moor, then for the American Federal it was first of all an act of devotion to his convictions of a man clothed with power, a hard worker, with all the fibers of his soul hating non-working dummies, cunningly turning information, even on the bones of people, and pretending that they are lucky. “His monthly fortune is the GDP of a European country.”
PSS: I have not read the novel about Zheglov-Sharapov, but somewhere I heard that the film was supposed to be “an ode to a black cat”. But thanks to Vysotsky cinema became the anthem of the Soviet police. He refused to play the right Sharapov, and took on Zheglov, and also worked many mise-en-scene, not only his own, but also with other characters, and these episodes became cult.
So the movie “Billions” is just a variant of “ode to a black cat”, in all likelihood. At least at the time of Season 1 Episode 8.
I would advise anyone interested in how billions of dollars are actually made in the stock market and how justice really works. Who knows, maybe this is the truth, that the desire for unjustified enrichment is a disease of the poor, and sober people from rich backgrounds can calm their ardor? If law enforcement agencies are formed on this principle, will you look and defeat corruption?
I cannot recommend this series to everyone. It's for the elect. For the intellectual elite.
This is not sarcasm, as one might think, but a statement of fact. I have already read a number of reviews, where not the most intelligent people try to compare it even with a simple “Dexter”, saying that “suspence is not enough”. Suspense is the kind of person here who wants to watch the whole series in bulk, having spent a sleepless night before hard work in the office. But the spectacle is ironic, subtle, intelligent, it is for adults, wise experience and able to notice details.
The plot tells about the confrontation of ambitious prosecutor Chad Rhodes (Paul Giamatti) and brilliant Wall Street financier Bobby Axelrod (Damien Lewis). They are both geniuses in their own way. Both are willing to break the law if necessary, both have strengths and weaknesses. There's no right or wrong here. Everyone has their own truth. And psychologically, the intrigue is built just flawlessly. Started as a simple investigation, the case gradually turns into a blood feud.
The writers performed a small miracle, turning the prosecutor and his wife into sado-masochists, sending her as a top-class psychologist right into the lair of the "beast," making her a colleague and friend of Axelrod. Meanwhile, the husband continues to put traps on him. The conflict is flawless.
The main theme of the series is the essence of capitalism. And how far can a person go to pursue the American dream and make money, a lot of money? There are other topics. The elites. People climbing up the social ladder and those born with a golden spoon in their mouths. How do they get along? U.S. financial market. What is he like? And who are these Wall Street bosses? What are they doing?! Paying taxes, giving jobs or just robbing people? . .
The individual scenes are simply masterpieces. For example, the game between Axelrod and his subordinate, just released from the courtroom, nicknamed the Dollar, when they pretend to quarrel for everyone, yelling, actually exchanging words of gratitude. Damien Lewis, who recently finished with Homeland, plays flawlessly. Their tandem with Paul Giamatti is great.
Brilliant and witty dialogue. It's drama. But the drama should be funny in its own way, it should excite the viewer. At the funeral of one of the heroes, Axelrod's assistant, for example, sadly remarks: "It's a pity that he died." He was our gay man. It is now profitable to keep gays in company.” Hell, you just have to see it and hear it to understand the level of drive on the screen.
Again, I do not recommend watching the series to stupid and schoolchildren. Except for the smartest students. The others won't like him. This is a sight for the most intelligent people. I’m so glad that Showtime makes adult TV shows. School and grey people, pass by.
I’ve read a lot about this project and watched the first three episodes. I expected to see ambiguous characters with complex characters, some internal dynamics, struggles. Well, as it was in the cult TV series 'Doctor House', 'In all serious', 'Dexter'. There's none of that.
Instead, we are shown, on the one hand, a kind of positive billionaire (a native of the lower classes, while he does not get carried away, hardworking, self-made, sports, family man, tries to work honestly, although he cheats sometimes) and an unpleasant, stubborn and ruthless prosecutor with a tendency to perversion, who is ready to put his own father down for the sake of his own self-affirmation.
Strangely, those who spoke positively about the series wrote that it is anti-capitalist. Not at all. Rather, the scheme is Einrend's, intelligent noble Businessman versus the mean stupid Official. Boring, banal, uninteresting. No one to sympathize with, no one to identify with, no one ' sick'.
However, if you like right-wing liberal ideas, if you are somehow connected with financial markets, if ' Atlas Shrugged ' is your favorite book, then you will like the series.