Blumhouse TV’s string of Prime Video series just keeps on rolling, hot and strong, with the upcoming horror-slash-adventure-slash-journey of self-reflection, The Bondsman.
As pitched on the Prime Video site, “Murdered bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) is resurrected by the Devil to trap and send back demons that have escaped from the prison of Hell. By chasing down those demons with the help and hindrance of his estranged family, Hub learns how his own sins got his soul condemned — which pushes him to seek a second chance at life, love, and country music.”
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Yeah, you read that right. Country music. But first, he’s gotta get by the demons. And the fact that he died. And that momma Kitty (Beth Grant) learned that he went to Hell. Also, the corporate structure of Hell is a whole ‘nother thing, folks. This a helluva hay ride.
Prime Video’s The Bondsman
There aren’t a lot of shows coming out these days that defy description. The Bondsman does just that in the most unexpectedly entertaining, heart-warming and gratuitously violent ways. Granted, it’s a movie that starts with a murder, transitions through an (initially) unexplained resurrection and racks up a massive body count in eight short half-hour episodes.
That’s right; it’s a half-hour format. After the initial jarringness of it, the brilliance of that choice becomes clear. In a half-hour, there’s no time to dwell on the implications of being condemned or indentured by Hell. There’s no time to piece together the breadcrumbs of information slyly slipped into the narrative. A half-hour format directs your attention to the flash and fury of battling demons, trying to save loved ones and setting your podunk Georgia town on fire — literally and figuratively — piece by piece. And the literal laugh-out-loud moments are delightful.
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As Hub Halloran, Kevin Bacon portrays the small-town could-have-been to a hungover, gun-toting tee. He returns from the dead with more baggage than we can imagine. What’s fascinating is how easy it is to get behind him, believing that whatever sent him down below might’ve been a clerical error or maybe an accident. Spoiler alert: Hell don’t make those kinds of mistakes.
Stealing all her scenes is Beth Grant as Kitty Halloran, fiesty ex-bailbonds person and clear-eyed mother and grandmother. She’s the heart of the series. Honest, loyal and willing to play the Law as a fool to protect those she loves. Hell hath no fury like a Momma Bear in a bulletproof vest.
It’s All About Family
Hub’s main motivation is his ex-wife, Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles), and his son, Cade (Maxwell Jenkins). While he somewhat acknowledges he’s not the right man to give them the life they deserve, he’s not willing to let them build a new one with Maryanne’s new boyfriend, Lucky Callahan (Damon Herriman). Herriman will never not be Dewey Crowe to me, but as Lucky, he highlights some impressive nuance to the character.
Speaking of family focus, don’t overlook Midge (Jolene Purdy). As Hub’s orientation guide and regional manager to this afterlife, she appears to be the perfect jobsworth for the task. Valuing efficiency and quota-meeting over any personal connection, she hides a lot behind her manuals and memos. What we learn about her in Episode 5 is a huge foundational piece to the world they’re building in The Bondsman.
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The Bottom Line
In the spirit of The Evil Dead and with the sheer over-the-top audacity of Preacher and Peacemaker, The Bondsman takes a Buffy-esque puzzle/quest and cranks the splatter-horror level to 11. Its pitch is perposterous, but its execution is pretty darned flawless. All y’all should take the trip down to Landry, Georgia. It’ll change your life.
All eight episodes of The Bondsman Season 1 drop on April 3 on Prime Video.
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