‘The Penguin’ Grips Gotham With Gangland Fury and a Driven Colin Farrell

Alci Rengifo

The best gangster stories tend to be operatic. Their appeal lies in scale combined with classic underdog stories fueled by everyone’s material fantasies. Easy money and crushing those who did you wrong, these are things we shouldn’t be thinking about a lot, but it is human to do so. It’s a classic tale you can do in any medium. When it comes to comic book stories, few equal the dramatic scale of Batman. HBO’s “The Penguin” is officially a spinoff of 2022’s “The Batman,” Matt Reeves’ brilliantly grungy reimagining of the caped crusader. Yet, if you didn’t see that movie, this series works very well as a stylish gangland saga with some old-fashioned details. 

Once again, Colin Farrell disappears under pounds of makeup to become Oswald “Oz” Cobb, or the Penguin for Batfans. In the aftermath of the events from “The Batman,” when madman the Riddler (Paul Dano) flooded Gotham City, chaos still reigns in the grimier corners of the metropolis. Oz sees many opportunities to expand his criminal reach, but he remains a hired hand of the Falcone crime family, now taken over by the young hothead Alberto (Michael Zegen). The succession doesn’t last long after Alberto meets with Oz and mocks him for being a lower class, aesthetically odd worker ant. Oz shoots the young punk in a fit of rage. Rushing to cover his tracks, he enlists the help of a street kid, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), to dispose of the body. It gets more complicated when the other Falcone sibling, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), is released from Arkham Asylum and immediately suspects Oz of not telling the whole truth about her brother’s whereabouts. For the ambitious gangster, it’s another obstacle to overcome in his drive to eventually take over.

Batman spinoffs haven’t had the best track record as of late. Titles like “Gotham” and “Pennyworth” were convoluted or too absurdly plotted. They always felt a need to somehow reference every single famous franchise character, because there’s no way a child Bruce Wayne would not already cross paths with younger versions of the Joker, Catwoman, etc. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc, with Matt Reeves as executive producer, keeps the spirit of Reeves’ movie by having “The Penguin” feel like an original, layered world. The season premiere itself never bothers with a cameo of Robert Pattinson’s Batman, because we already know he’s out there. In the better tradition of comic books, this story functions like an intriguing detour into Gotham’s other corners. It’s a gallery of criminal personalities, many twisted and dangerously lonely. 

As with its cinematic predecessor, it was a brilliant call to not recycle the Penguin as the sophisticated, hilariously snobby character from past movies and shows. The series gives us a better view into the life of a hoodlum from the dregs of the city, carrying an inferiority complex because of his appearance and background. His trademark walk amid amber sunsets and rain-soaked alleys is due to a deformed foot. The Falcone’s top brass pity him more than anything else, except for Sofia, herself a mental patient after a slew of murders, who tells Oz she’s never underestimated him. She can relate to him because despite having wealth and privilege, Sofia feels the eyes of everyone looking at her like some freak. She’s also a natural sadist, which raises the stakes for how far Oz is willing to go. The writing gives him intelligence mixed with the frustration of being down on the social ladder. As he tells Victor, nothing is given to you in this world. Many comparisons have been made in early reviews to “The Sopranos,” but the narrative has more in common with “Scarface” or “Goodfellas,” in how we meet Oz as a henchman scheming in archaic, dangerous ways to open locked doors in an established social order.

For Colin Farrell this is another winning performance. After famously gaining renown with Hollywood popcorn titles in the early 2000s before truly finding his place in the arthouse world, Farrell now comes full circle by headlining a Batman spinoff showcasing his chameleon talent. Frankly, if you don’t know it’s him under the makeup, you might never guess. He gives Oz genuine personality, evoking the trembling fears mixed with violence behind his gold-toothed grin. His gangster enjoys mentoring Victor, too bad it’s in murder and criminal conspiracies. Oz also has some mommy issues, as evident when he visits his mother, Francis (a great Deirdre O’Connell), who cheers him on for killing Alberto. He’s her “big bull of a man” who will get what the world owes him, no matter what. The acting is on point while the story makes the effort to create genuine background for Oz. Too many villains simply come out of nowhere. Farrell’s Oz is developing into someone like Magneto, where we comprehend the demons churning within.

Visually “The Penguin” is a direct continuation of Reeves’ rich, glossy noir aesthetic of “The Batman.” Gotham feels grounded and imaginative at the same time. Characters roam the streets like scurrying mice in a menacing concrete world. It’s the kind of place that would drive a damaged rich guy to put on a rubber suit to pummel criminals, while providing the perfect environment for an Oz Cobb. As a crime drama, it’s infectiously exciting to watch the bulky underdog snarl behind the backs of his social betters. These stories appeal so broadly because they tap into some primal truths about life. Getting ahead in this world when you were born without privilege is beyond tough. The mob and cartels function like capitalism at its purest, where merciless competition to dominate a product and its wealth is all that matters. Once you reach the top, you become royalty with the added stress of having to violently keep it all. Colin Farrell personifies this familiar tale so well it’s easy to forget about the other guy in the bat suit.

“The Penguin” premieres Thursday, Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. ET and airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.