Some of you may be familiar with the Netflix series ‘The Lincoln Lawyer', based on novels by Michael Connelly, it features Mickey Haller (played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) as a defence lawyer in California who works out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car limousine – hence the title. Haller is always sailing very close to the wind when defending his clients; and his moral compass can often seem a little off whack. But he’s a fabulous character, elegantly portrayed by Garcia-Rulfo, and supported by a stellar cast including Neve Campbell and Elliott Gould.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
I mention this because Marbella is similar to ‘The Lincoln Lawyer' in a number of ways. It stars Hugo Silva as César, an independent defence lawyer who represents many of the vast array of dodgy individuals who have infiltrated the region and turned it into a “hub of organized crime”. Like Haller, César uses every tool in his defence arsenal to get his clients acquitted, regardless of how despicable (and guilty) they are.
César is doing okay – nice Mercedes, lovely house, expensive watch – but not as well as his cocky, egotistical rival, Carlos Setién. So, when a new potential Dutch client comes to town, Yassim, César is the first to approach him to offer his services in smoothing things with the Spanish authorities for whatever nefarious dealings he has planned. That initial meeting doesn’t go well, but what develops is a battle for Yassim’s representation between Marbella’s two main lawyers.
The poster that accompanied the synopsis for ‘Marbella' depicts a handsome looking César by a pool, surrounded by beautiful people, blue skies and seas, and fabulous supercars. It doesn’t in any way prepare you for the amount of almost comic-book violence and unpleasantness that underpins the show. In the first few minutes, we witness an innocent Dutch family blown up in a car bomb; and later a cocaine-addicted Englishman gets into a fight with some locals, biting off one of the Spaniard’s ears and driving at police to make his escape.
The best aspects to my mind are some little pieces to camera that César makes, narrating his innermost thoughts (and explaining why he ultimately set-up the Englishman after initially getting him off with a mere fine); and his lovely relationship with his teenage daughter, to whom he sends ridiculously decadent lunches at her school much to her embarrassment. There needs to be more of this character building, because after one episode, I pretty much hate everyone in the show and would be quite happy to see Marbella’s entire criminal underbelly drown the Med.
In its defence (no legal pun intended), the acting is good – Hugo Silva does a fine job in the lead role – and if you like a show to feature more than its fair share of superyachts, supercars, luxury properties and fine-dining restaurants, then give it a go. But it’s not for me.
Walter Presents: ‘Marbella' is available as a boxset via C4 Streaming now.
