Well, this is exciting. “The Last Panthers,” a six-part series courtesy of “Skins” writer Jack Thorne, has already built up a fanbase in Europe and the U.K. (The Guardian called it “visually arresting” and also “bold, smart and seductive”), and this crackerjack crime serial is finally coming to American shores. Looking very much like a stylish, violent riff on our beloved cops-and-robbers sagas — think Michael Mann’s “Heat,” or even John Hillcoat’s recent “Triple 9” — “The Last Panthers” appears promising indeed, and a new trailer has arrived just in time for the show’s stateside release.
Opening with the rumbling, ominous tones of “Blackstar” by the late, great David Bowie (who arranged for said tune to be the show’s title song), the trailer for “The Last Panthers” is lean, menacing, and shot with a cool, alluring distance. It’s the story of a syndicate of jewel thieves — loosely based off The Pink Panthers, a real-life Balkan crime organization — who pull off a diamond heist. The show is said to broaden its scope in later episodes, focusing on the civilians tasked with retrieving the stolen goods, and the innocents caught in the crossfire. With a stellar cast that includes Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahim, and the great John Hurt, what’s not to love?
Here’s the synopsis:
A daring jewel heist bears all the hallmarks of the notorious ‘Pink Panthers’ gang but with one tragic difference: the death of a little girl sets off a chain of events across Europe. A British insurance loss adjuster (Samantha Morton), her nefarious boss (John Hurt), a French-Algerian cop (Tahar Rahim) and a Serbian gang member (Goran Bogdan) are placed on a dangerous collision course.
“The Last Panthers” premieres April 13th on Sundance TV. Watch below.