Even though Netflix doesn't release viewership numbers, it's clear that Narcos is one of their biggest shows ever, if not their biggest. So it's no surprise they'd want to keep working with José Padilha, who directed the first two episodes of that show. He also co-wrote and directed the Elite Squad films, two of the biggest movies ever in his native Brazil.
The Mechanism continues to tackle Padilha's favorite themes of government corruption and a righteous few taking on the system. And while this show is more likely to feature intense conversations than explosions, Padilha's a gifted action director, so those SWAT raids are sure to be especially thrilling.
The series covers the real-life Operation Car Wash, an investigation into an extensive money-laundering scheme that eventually included bribery and corruption charges for politicians of multiple parties and executives at oil company Petrobras.
Netflix will release all eight episodes of The Mechanism on Friday, March 23.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
