Michael Madsen Smokes, Sleeps, in Coma

Produced by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment and “starring” Michael Madsen as a mobster in a coma — who knew his acting abilities extending to sleeping through roles? –  Coma is a seven-part Crackle series depicting the vicious machinations of a corrupt mayor. It’s a fun series to watch, mostly due to the aggressively-noir visuals (close-ups on hubcaps and ambulance lights, blurred and rain-soaked backgrounds, etc) and comic book effects, e.g., three-panel split screens.

These tricks compel the first few times you see them, imbuing otherwise common events with graphic urgency. So instead of seeing Michael Madsen light a cigarette, you’re like “Holy sh*t, Michael Madsen just lit the f*ck out of that cigarette!” But the visuals backfire when something atypical occurs, e.g., Madsen’s shot by a drive-by assailant — dropping him into the series’ titular coma — and at first you think “Holy sh*t, Michael Madsen just lit the f*ck out of another cigarette!!” Except no, he was shot in the shoulder as he was taking off his shades. The image repeats a few times over the next two episodes, until eventually you think Madsen’s just very, very unlucky with removing sunglasses.

At any rate, this is fast-paced, entertaining stuff, especially when the constant backdrop of sirens and hospital beeps fades into “Oh Shooter” by Robin Thicke (son of Alan), and you’re actually compelled to watch the credits scroll. But close watchers will see that many of the effects are slight-of-hand: stock over-saturation flares, After Effects-ish flying typography, monochrome blurs. You wonder, after two episodes, if that’s all there is to this show.

The acting’s certainly not rescued by George Hamilton, whose turn as the corrupt mayor consists entirely of sitting behind his desk half-barking, half-sniggering at the D.A. while egregiously bad office lighting reduces his forehead to a lens flare. Is noir solely the effect of over-powered halogen?

Despite these faults, Coma’s worth a look. It won’t win any acting or writing awards, but it’s a fun series to waste a few minutes on. You can check the first two episodes on Crackle, or the full downloadable-to-mobile series at Wimo.mobi.