It's
Filled with malevolence and style, witchblade is an effective urban crime
drama with a surreal adventure twist.
Yancy
Butler stars as New York homicide detective Sara Pezzini: a leathered-up
cycle riding cop, with a hard attitude and a nose for trouble.
During
an early conflict with an underling of the local crime-boss, Gallo (Conrad
Dunn), Pezzini happens across an ancient mystical artifact-the witchblade;
a painful looking medieval gauntlet.
Soon
after, the soundtrack rocks, the adrenalin pumps, and the bodies fly in
a symphony of punishment and dread.
Along
with the ability to sprout wicked blades and kick major butt, the witchblade
also gives our heroine visions and special insight into other realms.
Yancy
Butler is convincing as the driven detective, haunted by personal loss
and tormented by her new symbiotic artifact, and the supporting cast is
equally effective, especially the under-utilized Conrad Dunn as the sociopath
crime-boss: Gallo.
Witchblade
is well-paced and moody, thanks to director Ralph Hemecker, and scribe
J.D. Zeik. The emotional impact however wasn’t what it could have
been. While appropriately creepy and enigmatic, especially with the
Mysterious Manipulators played by Anthony Cistaro and Eric Etebari, the
back-story falls victim to TV time constraints and doesn’t penetrate the
way it could.
Witchblade
delivers well on the action level, with state of the art photography, great
editing, and high end FX reminiscent of the Matrix.
Appropriately
over the top, TNT’s Witchblade is an effective blend of action and dark
fantasy; high on flash and sharp with style.
