‘The Madness’ Review: Colman Domingo Anchors Netflix’s Timely but Overstuffed Political Thriller
Like the paranoid notions that drive their protagonists, conspiracy thrillers are constantly shifting. The genre is remarkably malleable; the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s produced some of the form’s best — “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Blow Out” — each of which iterated on the hallmarks of the form. A good political thriller is often decidedly of the moment, with enough meat on its bones to become timeless as it ages, and there’s certainly no shortage of material to draw on, given our current political climate.
The arrival of Netflix’s “The Madness” couldn’t be more timely if it tried. Anchored by Colman Domingo, the 8-episode limited series created by Stephen Belber and co-showrun with VJ Boyd kicks off its premise in pretty short order: When media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) becomes the prime suspect in the murder case of a notable white supremacist in the Poconos woods, he must work to clear his name and protect his estranged family — a gripping setup that transpires at a breakneck pace within the show’s first 20 minutes.
From there, Muncie falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of this messed-up wonderland, eventually subsuming both him and his family. Nearly ex-wife Elena (Marsha Stephanie Blake) is extremely hesitant to dive back into any consistent communication even with the newfound extenuating circumstances. Demetrius (Thaddeus J. Mixson), Muncie’s son, is still processing the two’s impending separation. Daughter Kallie (Gabrielle Graham) is reluctant to connect after Muncie’s absentee nature left her alone throughout critical portions of her life. Yet in this dysfunction, “The Madness” springs to life whenever Muncie is bouncing off his family and friends like lawyer Kwesi (Deon Cole) or trusted confidant Isiah (a most welcome Stephen McKinley Henderson). These tangible, strongly realized relationships help to keep “The Madness” grounded as it begins to spin up and out of its central thriller conceit. The scope eventually widens to include law enforcement in the form of FBI Agent Franco Quinones (the ever-wonderful John Ortiz) and the supremacist’s ex-wife Lucie (Tamsin Topolski).
“The Madness” finds its premise straining in the middle section as it moves away from the character dynamics of Muncie and his family in favor of building up its central mystery. Weighty topics aren’t off-limits, with an exploration into both the left and right sides of the political extreme, the influence of mega-corporations, disinformation campaigns and more. Most of these subjects are often personified by new characters who appear throughout this stretch, and “The Madness” introduces these new shadow-shrouded figures in a way that mirrors video game logic, positioning the character as a new boss fight for Muncie to solve before facing the next foe. That’s made worse for wear by having the show communicate their perceived threat level instead of showing it, or by not providing enough substance to them to care about why he’s facing off against them outside of clearing his name. The stakes and tone are muddled as a result.
Fortunately, “The Madness” remains watchable thanks to Domingo, who could find a way to make reading the phonebook a masterwork of craft. The show is (smartly) constructed entirely around his presence. Styled in a striking coat that feels like an intentional reference to the iconic outerwear of “Three Days of the Condor,” Domingo’s central presence is frequently literalized by director Clément Virgo, placing the star in the dead center of the frame. Everything in this world orients itself around Muncie, so why not extend that to the look of the series, too? Domingo’s given plenty to do in the show, exemplifying an everyman-style performance in the spirit of Harrison Ford in “The Fugitive” or Robert Redford in the aforementioned “Condor.” Even when, well, the madness of “The Madness” unfolds, Domingo’s performance is a steady hand; the same charisma that’s made him endlessly watchable in recent years is on display in spades.
But where Domingo is best is playing off the respective members of his family. The relationship between him and Graham is among the series’ richest as the two slowly work to find common ground after years apart. Unsurprisingly, “The Madness” roars back to life down the stretch as the Daniels family begins to band together, allowing Blake, Mixson and Graham to have plenty of star-studded moments. The rad bromance between Domingo and Ortiz is also notable for how effortlessly the relationship feels, a perfect exemplification of Philly’s brotherly love. Topolski plays Lucie like an open wound and finds adequate depth accordingly. The series also gets a lot out of supporting cast members who dot the back half, including Bradley Whitford and Alison Wright, the latter of whom is (clearly) having a ball in a part that’s got more in common with her tenure on “The Americans” than you might think.
It’s difficult to tell whether or not “The Madness” will age well enough to be considered a classic conspiracy thriller for this era. Instead, the show’s legacy could and should go down as a star vehicle for Colman Domingo, who continues to show he’s a tour de force no matter the material. That’s something we won’t need the benefit of hindsight on, no matter how much our conspiracy thrillers continue to shift in the years to come.
“The Madness” is now streaming on Netflix.
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