Ozark is a 2017 dramatic series about a Chicago-based financial advisor who secretly relocates his family to the Missouri Ozarks when his dealings with a drug cartel go awry.
Today’s Netflix pick is all about money laundering. When you’re the best at what you do, you might attract interest from some unsavory people. Then, before you know it you hatch a half baked plan to try and save your life and the life of your family and nothing, absolutely nothing in the plan goes smoothly. It’s an incredibly tense ride from start to finish, never letting up. It’s terribly smart and the performances are top notch. It’s Ozark and it’s what you’re watching tonight. Here’s why.
The Story: Financial adviser, Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), has been laundering money for one of the biggest drug kingpins in Mexico when it comes to light that his partner has been skimming some of that money off the top. Del (Esai Morales), a crime lord for the cartel, kills Marty’s partner and is about to kill Marty when Marty tells him that he can launder $500,000,000 in 5 years by going down to the Ozarks, which boasts more coastline than the entire coast of California and hosts 5,000,000 cash-rich tourists every season. Del is doubtful but he’s willing to give it a go. Marty, his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) and their two kids, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) have 48 hours to leave Chicago and get settled in the Ozarks and get to work. Nothing goes to plan, nothing comes easy, but they’re all determined to make it work. Because the alternative… well, the alternative is death.
Why You Should Watch: Created by Bill Dubuque, who is also behind The Accountant and The Judge, Ozark has an incredibly tense atmosphere that never lets up. All 10 episodes show growth and development of the plot. To often with TV shows, there is a strong first and last episode and filler in the middle. That isn’t the case here, there is constantly something going on, something going wrong might be a better way to put it. All the elements of this show come together to create something special: an ominous score, great cinematography, a really well written script and very powerful performances. Usually a funnyman, Bateman shows some real chops here, and Linney is impeccable as always. Try the first episode tonight and you will be binge watching the show all weekend long. You won’t regret it.