The Knick : Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:14 am
Anyone else watching this?It's an interesting one - directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Clive Owen, it's based around a New York hospital at the turn of the century; a kind of ER, but with more syphilis and frock coats. Not always easy to watch - it's unflinching in its portrayal of the squalor and inequities of the class structure, and the scenes of surgery are pretty graphic; it also addresses the racism of the time by placing a black Dr at the centre of the story and showing characters who you should be warming to, treating him with total contempt. Disturbing stuff - it's still quite difficult to hear the N word being tossed around so freely, even if it is a drama.
All that said - Owen is excellent as the manic, drug-addled, but brilliant surgeon; and it's great to look at - much like Boardwalk Empire before it, the period detail is flawless and the performances are outstanding. I have a suspicion that it will also have the same relatively low viewing figures that Boardwalk Empire started out with, but I'm doing my small bit to address that - I recommend it!
