‘Untamed' takes the gritty murder mystery to a new locale: Yosemite National Park
(L to R) Sam Neill as Paul Souter, Eric Bana as Kyle Turner.
Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix/RICARDO HUBBS/NETFLIX
Created by screenwriters Mark L. Smith ('American Primeval') and Elle Smith ('The Marsh King's Daughter'), 'Untamed' is more polished and mature than your average Netflix original, but it isn't exactly breaking new ground. Virtually every element of this miniseries is founded on a well-worn genre cliché, from the interplay between the gruff Turner and his upbeat sidekick to the structure of their investigation, uncovering sordid secrets about the deceased Jane Doe. As Turner tries to figure out what the woman was doing in Yosemite and how she came to die, he must also confront the fallout of an old, unsolved case that continues to haunt his career.
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Best known for co-writing the Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio Western '
Opening with a terrifically perilous rock-climbing scene, 'Untamed' leans into its title, constantly reminding us of the dangers of the Yosemite landscape. Epic in scope, the park spans hundreds of thousands of acres, full of mountains and forests where a person could easily die or vanish without trace. Yet there's still a small-town vibe to Turner's interactions with the locals; a diverse population that includes National Parks employees, hippie squatters and a Native American community, many of whom he's known for years.
Given what you know of Kyle Turner so far, you probably won't be surprised to hear that he lives alone in a log cabin, drunk-dialing his ex-wife (
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Among the supporting cast, Lily Santiago provides a relatable counterpoint to Turner, and we meet a handful of memorable side-characters, including Wilson Bethel as a suspicious, gun-toting Yosemite local. Neill, the other big name star attached to the project, is given shockingly little to do for most of the season, to the point where you may wonder what he's doing there.
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UNTAMED
Starring: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Lily Santiago, Rosemary DeWitt. On Netflix
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