Chris Laureys

The pacing of Manhunt is torturously slow. This tale could've easily been told as single well-edited Apple+ original movie. What's with streaming platforms and their need to do a "limited series" (usually in no fewer than 7 parts), even if the story is nowhere close to deserving of that length? It's as if, after having invested so many millions of dollars on talent, sets and costumes, those who put up the money feel they mustn't let a single frame of film go to waste. The irony being that they end up with a more-is-less final product that is an unwatchable waste. Bottom line: I'm halfway through episode 3 (literally the series halfway mark), and I have to accept that I've lost enough time, and must cut my losses before they become any greater, much as a civil war surgeon might do with the gangrenous leg. It's sad, too. Manhunt features so many great leading and character actors, men and women for whom I have long had a genuine fondess. I'm a great lover of historical fiction, too. And yet, hard as I try to like this well intentioned effort, I just can't invest any more time in it. Consider yourself warned.