“A Real Man”: Rise and Fall of a Real Estate Tycoon on Netflix

We expected a lot from this mini-series by David E. Kelley, put online this Thursday, May 2 on Netflix. Because he is the creator of “ Big Little Lies »an event series with polished writing which subtly addressed the theme of domestic violence and the weight of appearances among middle-class Californians.

Because Jeff Daniels (“Dumb and Dumber”, “The Hours”, “The Newsroom”), charismatic and intense, plays one of the main roles. And because this story “Inheritance” (a critically acclaimed HBO series) about a real estate tycoon on the verge of bankruptcy, the promise of a merciless fight in the upper echelons of finance and politics, had lured us. The result did not meet our expectations.

We follow Charlie Croker (played by Jeff Daniels), a powerful businessman at the head of a real estate empire in Atlanta, who inevitably reminds us of Donald Trump. Exuberant and sharp cheeky, full of pride and confidence, married to a pretty blonde much younger than him, he ticks all the boxes and embodies the success of the self-made man. But he finds himself pursued by his bankers, to whom he owes a tidy sum of money.

Are we going to witness its brutal and dizzying fall? Will he find a way to counter the attack and come out even stronger? Parallel to his story, we witness the crisis experienced by a black man, victim of police violence and imprisoned after having also carried out blows, who fights for his freedom and his dignity.

There are certainly some great verbal jousts in these immense offices on the high floors of these large glass towers. We think of “Succession”, but also of “House of cards”, with characters with devouring ambition, ready for any low blows. The actors and actresses, Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane first and foremost, carry the series and we watch the whole thing without getting bored. But very quickly, we wonder why we are being told this story, with a dramatic plot that is, after all, quite banal.

The characters are not deep enough, and we wonder about the reason of the screenwriters for crossing these two destinies. Yes, business is inextricably linked to political power. Yes, there is police violence of which African-Americans are the first victims. And after ? The six-episode series remains too superficial and fails to fully engage us. Damage.