True Detective, HBO’s latest big budget show, always ran the risk of simply rehashing the typical cop drama storyline. A complicated murder and mismatched partners forced to work together is a road well-trodden, but True Detective manages to rise above the clichés and provides a gripping story and two fantastic characters.
The show follows two cops, Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) and ‘Rust’ Cohle (Matthew McConaughey), as they investigate a haunting occult murder. Set in two separate time periods, the show follows the initial investigation in 1995, as well as a renewed investigation in 2012, where Hart and Cohle are interviewed by two new cops seemingly dealing with the killer’s reappearance. The split time period breathes fresh air into an otherwise overdone concept, but it’s the characters that really make the show stand out.
Hart and Rust are both fantastic characters, aided by the casting of two huge name stars, who both turn out splendid performances as the oddball pairing of detectives. Harrelson’s Hart is a gruff, experienced detective who struggles to bond with McConaughey’s intelligent, but damaged, Rust.
Rust, especially, is an excellent character: living in a scarcely furnished apartment, struggling with a drug and alcohol problem and bears the baggage of a failed marriage and dead daughter. McConaughey’s remarkably understated performance really helps to sell the struggle of the character, and makes him extremely likeable despite his many flaws.
The relationship between these two men serves as a much more intriguing mystery than the murder investigation. Whilst the two start to develop an understanding of one another in 1995, scenes from 2012 hint at a catastrophic break down of their relationship in 2002, and it seems like following their relationship and the cause of their fall out will be the real highlight of the show, with the murder taking a bit of a backseat, though this isn’t a bad thing.
True Detective stars out strongly, forging an intriguing pair of characters that will form the backbone of the series. The continued development of their relationship will be the highlight of the show, especially if Harrelson and McConaughey carry on churning out such spectacular performances.
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Joseph Thomas