Jeff Daniels played Atticus Finch on Broadway.
His Charlie Croker in the Netflix miniseries "A Man in Full" is another Southern archetype. Sharing Finch's liberal attitudes on race, Daniels' Croker displays little of the noble small-town lawyer's modesty and wisdom.
In his flamboyant portrayal of the real estate tycoon who built Atlanta, Daniels resembles Tennessee Williams' Big Daddy rather than Harper Lee's Atticus.
Spewing folksy maxims of male dominance and business triumph, Daniels' Croker struts, cajoles and postures in a performance that goes beyond cliche.
Producer and writer David E. Kelley's script makes significant changes from Tom Wolfe's novel about the rise of Atlanta as a Sunbelt dynamo. Atlanta landmarks star in the production.
Directed by Regina King and Thomas Schlamme, the miniseries explores Atlanta's racial conflicts in politics and the criminal justice system.
Putting aside his usual bombast, Croker nurtures a close relationship with his black attorney Roger White, whose quiet competence and prudence contrast with Croker's rashness in Ami Ameen's nuanced performance.
Racial tensions build to a violent confrontation in which young warehouse worker Conrad Hensley is jailed for striking a policeman in an act of self-defense.
In a compelling performance, Jon Michael Hill defines Hensley's emotional range from concern for others to explosive anger.
As Conrad's wife, Jill, Croker's efficient secretary, Chante Adams portrays the show's most appealing character with warmth and forbearance. Her joy at her husband's eventual exoneration is the show's brightest moment.
Diane Lane as Croker's ex-wife Martha glows as a middle-aged woman rediscovering her sexuality. Lucy Liu also brings glamour and style to her performance as Joyce Norman, Martha's best friend and one of Croker's foils.
The production's dominant plot element, Croker's cartoonish rivalry with the obsequious Raymond Peepgrass, creepily played by Tom Pelphrey, crashes in an outrageous conclusion that made me wish I could have back those hours I spent watching the show.
"Man in Full" deflates like a giant balloon.
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