0/5

Quarry

Returning home from the Vietnam war, Mac is rejected by his hometown until he is offered $30,000 to put his skills to crime.

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All the HBO attention may be going to the sexy Westworld, but it overlooks the powerful first episode of another new drama, Quarry.

The 80 minute premiere may begin as a bit of a slowburn, but it packs a punch that serves as an excellent set-up episode.

Quarry is the nickname given to Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green) a Marine returning home to Memphis from Vietnam with friend Arthur Solomon (Jamie Hector). While Mac’s wife Joni (Jodi Balfour) is elated to have her husband home, other locals are less welcoming. The Vietnam war troubles America’s conscience. As the men soon discover, there are protests at the airport, jobs are hard to come by and even Mac’s own father suggests he avoid visiting the family house for the time being.

But a dodgy Broker (Peter Mullan) arrives at his home to make a seedy offer: $30,000 to use his skills as a contract killer. While he resists the temptation, pal Arthur is also given the same offer and tries to encourages Mac to join him.

“If you do this, you are who they say you are,” Mac protests.

Meanwhile a menacing Buddy (Damon Herriman), whose part in these proceedings is less clear, provides some oxygen from this dark tale. Largely cooped up in a motel room, he sings Without You in Spanish and bashes nails into a baseball bat. As you do.

Across the extended opening episode, writers Graham Gordy & Michael D. Fuller juggle violence, power, lies and a deep sense of displacement. Director Greg Yaitanes pulls back from some scenes allowing the audience to fill in the gaps, as Mac becomes more and more disillusioned.

In the title role Logan Marshall-Green is sexily commanding, sporting a Solo moustache and Playgirl hair. Mac tries hard to keep a lid on his emotions but surreal scenes, artfully directed, indicate repressed experiences in Vietnam set to ignite a short fuse.

The ever-reliable Peter Mullan is pitch perfect as the coercive, nameless Broker, pushing Mac towards a path of crime. And what a year Damon Herriman is having -from his transgender role in Secret City to singing Harry Nilsson in his underwear here (move over Ben Mendelsohn).

Quarry is a cool customer of a drama that creeps up on you thanks to its stark turning points, impressive leading man and ensemble of character actors.

Quarry premieres tonight at 9:45pm on Showcase.

2 Responses

  1. Just caught up with the debut episode. I thought it was fantastic. The pacing was perfect, the small ensemble spot on & there was just enough revealed without giving too much away. I’d agree with the 4.5 rating. Up there with ‘The Night Of’ as having the best premiere this year.

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