Altered Carbon (Netflix 2018, Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy)

Based on the classic cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan, scifi series Altered Carbon is an intriguing story of murder, love, sex, and betrayal, set more than 300 years in the future. Society has been transformed by new technology: consciousness can be digitized; human bodies are interchangeable; death is no longer permanent.

Takeshi Kovacs is the lone surviving soldier in a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned – on ice – for centuries until Laurens Bancroft, an impossibly wealthy, long-lived man, offers Kovacs the chance to live again. In exchange, Kovacs has to solve a murder … that of Bancroft himself.

Impressive of scope and big of budget Altered Carbon channels Philip K. Dick by way of Philip Marlowe. The seediness and the violence does get a little wearing though.

10×60 minutes

production details
USA | Netflix | 10×60 minutes | 2018
Script: Richard K. Morgan, Laeta Kalogridis,

cast
James Purefoy as Laurens Bancroft
Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs
Richard Ian Cox as Cheap Lawyer
Wolfgang Klassen as Security Office Guard
Fraser Aitcheson as Rhino Man
Alyson Bath as Woman Speaking Hologram
David Lewis as Director Nyman
Fiona Vroom as Sandy Kim
Martha Higareda as Kristin Ortega
Chris Conner as Poe
Ato Essandoh as Vernon Elliot
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Quellcrist Falconer
Dichen Lachman as Reileen Kawahara
Trieu Tran as Mr. Leung
Kristin Lehman as Miriam Bancroft
Peter Woodward as Pleasure Concierge
Michael Eklund as Dimi 2
Rob Hayter as Corridor Guard
Matt Frewer as Carnage
Katie Stuart as Vidaura
Byron Mann as O.G. Kovacs
Elfina Luk as Re-Meet Mom
Vivian Full as Receptionist