Review of Maniac

There's some great work here by everyone involved. The story and its execution are surprising and unpredictable, with a mostly happy ending that seems to come from nowhere. Unless, maybe, you've seen the source from which it springs - Fassbinders 1973 German tv mini-series "World on a Wire." Unreleased in the U. S. until about 10 years ago, the project must have been in wide circulation among filmmakers in the 70s, as it's influence is unmistakable in dozens of subsequent SciFi pictures. With its cold, flat sense of menace, absurd staging and the ironic use of action tropes atop a mystery about the virtual world sneaking through the firewalls of human reality, WoaW unspools into an astonishment that must have blown the socks off of German families in their living rooms. It stands alongside any of Kubrick's work in its forward and backward reach, with a tone that is bewilderingly sprightly and haunting. Thrilling, and possibly one of the most influential works withheld from wide release.

Maniac seems conceived as a tribute and an update to WoaW, and if it falls short (particularly in the latter episodes), it's none the less entertaining and generously affords its stars room to stretch and play. Watching the work here of Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Justin Theroux and even Sally Field, you realize how seldom actors of any age are allowed to really perform on screen anymore, to take chances and get really "out there" in character. This is a solid direction for Netflix - a challenging kind of work that they should continue to invest in instead of throwing everything into more super hero dreck.