Netflix’s Black Rabbit blends drama and thriller into a tense, genre-crossing story. With an all-star cast starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman, the opening episodes simmer with suspense and steadily escalating stakes. While its long-term trajectory remains uncertain, the series already hints at becoming one of the year’s most compelling streaming watches.
After an initial stumble through a few genre clichés, only one question remains: Can the series sustain its promise? Yes, the series does. Black Rabbit is Netflix’s next prestige thriller—sharp, unsettling, and impossible to turn off.
Netflix’s Black Rabbit Plot
The story follows two brothers who, on the surface, appear very different. Jake Friedken (Academy Award nominee Jude Law) is the successful owner of a new New York City restaurant. The opening episode introduces Jake in a somewhat clichéd manner—celebrating his upscale launch with an air of posh gluttony.
For instance, while he proudly touts having the best burger in town to opening night customers, the party around him features models and security staff parading displays of luxury wristwatches and jewelry. However, the spectacle is given little explanation. That is all about to change when two armed masked men storm the festivities, looking to relieve Jake of the opulent accessories.
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While Jake is the picture of success, his brother, to put it kindly, is still struggling to find his footing. Jason Bateman plays Vince, a disheveled drifter who gets robbed while attempting to sell his late father’s coin collection in a shady parking lot. Unlike Jake, Vince looks like he just stepped out of a time machine from a ’90s Pearl Jam concert.
Netflix’s Black Rabbit Review
Things go from bad to worse for Vince as he tries to sell the family heirlooms. Forced to head home and lie low, he instead crosses paths with a pair of hustlers (Forrest Weber, Chris Coy) working for a local mobster (a menacingly terrific Troy Kotsur), who intend to collect on an old debt. With no money to his name, Jake must help his brother—or risk losing him for good.
From Academy Award–nominee Zach Baylin—whose credits include King Richard, Creed III, Gran Turismo, Bob Marley: One Love, and The Order—Black Rabbit is a classic tale of sibling rivalry and survival. While the familiar trope pits one “good” sibling against one “bad,” here both brothers are deeply flawed, their intersecting arcs fueling the suspense that drives the series.
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The first two episodes were screened for critics at the Toronto International Film Festival, but FandomWire was able to view the entire series. Several subplots emerge initially, including an accusation that threatens to topple the Friedkin restaurant’s burgeoning empire. There’s also a love triangle involving Law’s Jake, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù’s Wes, and Cleopatra Coleman’s Estelle, which feels forced.
Is Netflix’s Black Rabbit Worth Watching?
What makes Baylin’s writing so compelling is the way he peels back layers of both main characters. Bateman’s Vince has his reasons for ending up in this predicament and isn’t the morally obtuse figure he first appears to be. The same is true for Jake, as the story gradually reveals he isn’t the titan of industry we initially believed. Baylin subverts the familiar trope with a foil reversal that keeps the drama engaging.
However, like much of Baylin’s work, Black Rabbit is a genre-bending thriller that doubles as a pulse-pounding drama—taut, gripping, and fueled by slow-burning suspense that kept me glued to my seat through the first two episodes. While it’s difficult to predict where the series is headed, this thriller could rise to the top of the streaming waters as one of the year’s most addictive thrillers.
You can stream the new series Black Rabbit on Netflix on September 18! All eight episodes were reviewed.
