The Penguin - (MAX) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

Created by Bill Finger, the Detective Comics (DC) character the Penguin made his first appearance in print in 1941. Since then, like most characters in the Batman world, he comes with an established history, multiple accounts of adventures, written by generations of storytellers and artists. Taking up this mantle, director Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown) with lead actor Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inisherin, Sugar) as titular character not only do justice to the weight of the Penguin character, but offer a well-performed and action-packed story that makes the character a star for the first time. 

Farrell’s Penguin is as vulnerable and relatable as he is savage. Behind three hours of makeup application and a bodysuit to add girth to his frame, Farrell first played Oz, aka, the Penguin, in the Matt Reeves’ 2022 film The Batman, but for HBO Max, he fills the small screen with a commanding presence. Oz is a mid-level player in the underground crime world of fictional Gotham City. In a show where everyone is a criminal, audiences will champion Oz, as the unattractive, underestimated, intermediary. 

The strength of The Penguin is in getting audiences to empathize with people doing objectively horrible acts of crime and greed. But worry not, if Oz is positioned as the hero, the show is not without a fantastic villain in Sophia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti (The Wolf of Wall Street, Fargo). Shifting dynamics have left her place within the crime family on unsure footing. She’s mourning a loss, but more significantly her reputation precedes her upon her return from a stay in Arkham Asylum, a mental health facility known to house the criminally insane. 

The Penguin walks a unique line between comic book style and realism. It is not a superhero story where characters have special powers, but it is one where the action is quick, brutal, and often not in line with the physics of the real world. Gotham isn’t the real world, but in a scary way, its crumbling social and political structures provide hints of realism. Every character has a questionable past, and it seems like each one may be loyal only to themselves, but maybe that is what makes them relatable and easy to root for.  

Rachel’s Rating: 8/10  The Penguin,  gets a fresh take in a new MAX series led by Colin Farrell and directed by Craig Zobel. Farrell's portrayal of the complex, vulnerable yet ruthless crime figure Oz captures audiences, making him a standout in Gotham's underworld. The show skillfully blends comic book elements with gritty realism.