Defending Jacob Review: An Intriguing Suspense Drama with Outstanding Performances

***This Defending Jacob review does NOT contain any plot spoilers***

Apple TV+ has a new slow-burning, courtroom drama on its hands with DEFENDING JACOB and if you love ‘whodunnit’ style shows, then this one is for you. In recent months, there has been a lot of talk and excitement surrounding the new series and having watched the episode screeners prior to the official release, I couldn’t wait for the embargo to lift so I could finally talk about it. Is it worth a watch? In one word, yes. 

Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, and Jaeden Martell star in the adaptation of William Landay’s bestselling novel, Defending Jacob. Despite the success of the book, the series was always going to garner attention with the high-profile casting of Marvel’s Captain America and Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary Crawley. However, you soon come to realise when watching the show that you don’t think about their preceding highly-recognisable roles, as you are immersed into their emotional and often heartbreaking portrayal of Andy and Laurie Barber.

Chris Evans stars (and is the Executive Producer) in the series as Andy Barber, an assistant DA married to Laurie (spectacularly played by Michelle Dockery). At the beginning, the family appear a very ordinary, functional family as their son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell) is revising for a test, questioned by his parents and discussing travel plans to Mexico. It all seems rosy and quite normal until Benjamin Rifkin, a 14-year-old classmate of Jacob, is stabbed three times and is found dead near a local running trail with no effort made to conceal his body. The Barber’s upper-class, suburban world is demolished when their beloved son, Jacob gets charged with murder and of course they fulminate such accusations against the charge and do what they can to defend Jacob.

Within each episode, we witness Andy and Laurie’s ruination of their family life, careers and reputation, as Jacob’s father desperately endeavours to find out who the real perpetrator is even if that means breaking the rules.  “My only job now is trying to protect our son. Whatever it takes.” Yes, Chris Evans does say that infamous line in this series, which Marvel fans may recognise from Avengers: Endgame! 

Evans and Martell are a very convincing father and son duo in this project and their connection feels so rooted and genuine. This may have been intensified by the fact that they’ve previously appeared together in Playing It Cool (2014), playing the same character at different ages, and most recently in Knives Out (2019) playing cousins. Martell is a burgeoning, young actor with an exciting future ahead of him. His somewhat cold, anesthetized delivery beautifully emphasises his character’s innate lack of empathy towards difficult situations and others. His performance is truly chilling. Audiences may struggle to decipher their own verdict about Jacob’s questionable guilt and that is exactly what draws you into the mini-series – the compulsion to realise the truth.  

Michelle Dockery is sublime as Laurie. Her representation of a distressed mother is so emotionally transparent particularly in one onerous scene in a supermarket where her performance is so realistic, you almost forget that Dockery is acting the part. You feel such empathy towards her as she struggles to hide her antipathy towards Jacob, specifically during the dramatic final episode of the series.

It’s great to see Chris Evans star in something slightly different after hanging up his infamous Captain America shield in 2019’s AVENGERS: ENDGAME. His dominant performance as a concerned and desperate father is pure and impressive. He’s an actor of great professional diversity and the show reinforces what a transcendent actor Evans really is and he should not be type-cast solely as a superhero, as his acting range has further depth than that. 

All of the cast are sublime in their roles and the three leading actors share the screen with some truly compelling performances. J.K. Simmons is naturally fantastic as one would expect playing Andy’s estranged father. Betty Gabriel was intense and emotive in her role as Detective Duffy and it would be great to see her get more screen time in future projects and Cherry Jones also stole the scenes as the family lawyer, Joanna Klein.

Furthermore, Pablo Schreiber impressed as the ruthless prosecutor determined to have Jacob convicted and appearances from suspect Daniel Henshall, grieving parents played by Megan Byrne, Patrick Fischler and local tough guy William Xifaras‘ Father O’Leary also add to the impressive calibre of the cast.

There are many crime drama shows and films out there, but it would not be fair to box this show into the same category as it’s something more singular and has its own entity and story to tell.

Whether you are a fan of the best-selling novel by William Landay or not, this series tries its hardest to remain faithful to the elements which made it so popular all of which have been brought to life by director, Morten Tyldum. For those who may have never read the book or even heard of it prior to the promotions from Apple TV+, the series and characters are easy to comprehend and you even find yourself caring about them as the episodes unfold. Tyldum is successful in creating the oppressive atmosphere from the beginning of the series and from episode one the frames have a grey, blue, gloomy saturation to it which consummately sets the tone for the show and bleak storyline. Tyldum’s cinematography skills shine as he’s created a show that also serves as somewhat of a love letter to Boston, buttered with breathtaking aerial shots of the city and Newton, Massachusetts.

Mark Bomback penned the screenplay brilliantly, drawing out every twist and turn in the plot line, leaving the best nuggets of surprise until the last quarter of each episode, guaranteeing the audience will want to instantly tune into the next one to find out what happens. Like most investigative crime shows, the addictive incentive of Defending Jacob’s interest is to uproot the truth behind the heinousness.

Now get ready to cast aside eight hours of your day and be prepared to binge-watch this entertaining series. The first three episodes of Defending Jacob will premiere on Friday, April 24th on Apple TV+ and new episodes will premiere weekly thereafter every Friday.

Are you looking forward to watching DEFENDING JACOB? What do you think of the casting for the series? As always, we like to know what you think, so let us know your thoughts below, tweet us @filmandtvnow or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

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