REALLY SHORT PILOT REVIEW: SMITH

Rawked. \^^/

Critics have complained of Smith's lack of likeable characters. I like Smith for that very reason. Screw characters being likable. Just make them interesting. Simon Baker's Jeff is a functional psychopath. I fear what he might do next. After a string of crappy heist-based TV shows that try to make us root for them by making us understand them, Smith (pilot on innertube at CBS.com) just lets them be as they are. You don't get this much, and even less on prime-time American TV. We may come to understand them and identify with them, but not today.

Herc at Ain't It Cool News called this a "stupid attempt to do Tarantino TV without Tarantino." I think this is a gross generalization. Herc is apparently crediting QT with the entire idea of following the bad guy at all. This is nothing like Tarantino (nor should it be). In fact, I see more of Michael Mann in the style of this show. If this is Herc's rationale for his dislike of the show, then I think he came into it tainted and his off-base comparison discounts the entirety of his opinion.

I just hope it doesn't go all pear-shaped in the very next episode.

Unrelated: My Heroes (P)review at comicbookresources.com