Banshee

In this review I will review the Cinemax show Banshee. This show is about Lucas Hood, played by Antony Starr, a con man that is just released from spending 15 years in prison. When he is released he heads to his transvestite computer hacker friend Job, played by Hoon Lee. The reason he visits Job is to find where his ex-lover/partner Anna known now as Carrie, played by Ivana Milicevic, is located.

Hood showing up where Carrie lives now, which is a town called Banshee in PA, messes up her life. The reason it messes up her life is because 15 years ago Hood and Anna banded together to steal from the man they worked for Rabbit, played by Ben Cross. Rabbit is your definition of a Crime Lord, and he is one not to be messed with. When Hood and Anna stole from Rabbit they were on the run, and because Hood loved Anna so much he let himself be caught so Carrie could get away. Then for 15 years Rabbit made Hood's life in prison a living hell, and he searched for Carrie but couldn't find her.

After Hood visits Carrie at her house he finds he has lost all that he cared for. He goes to a bar to get a drink where we meet a future friend of Hood's, Sugar Bates, played by Frankie Faison. Along with Bates the new Sheriff for Banshee is at the bar; his name is Lucas Hood. What happens is that these men working for the Crime Lord in Banshee, who is Kai Proctor, played by Ulrich Thomsen, visit Bates' bar to hassle him, and the real Hood steps in to stop them and gets killed in the process. The fake Hood, Antony Starr, stepped in too late to stop them from killing the real Hood, but he killed the two goons.

The fake Hood sees an opportunity and takes it. He calls his friend Job, and after Job forges documents that is how our ex con becomes Lucas Hood new Sheriff of Banshee. With Hood now in Banshee permanently, a lot of chaos ensues. Hood isn't always the hero we want him to be, but I really like his character even if he still steals and robs. Since this show is on Cinemax it has a lot of gore, violence, blood, language, sex, and nudity. To explain most of these here is a clip from the show, and it is one of my favorite scenes in the first season.

I didn't mention all the characters, but everyone's acting is great, and you feel for these characters. Banshee's first season is out on Blu ray/DVD, is currently in its second season on Cinemax, and has been renewed for a third season even though the second hasn't ended yet. In the end my rating is, you see this as soon as you can if you can handle it, and if you enjoy a great action series that has great acting and drama. It is brutal, but very much worth it. If you want to know how many secrets one town can have, watch Banshee and find out.