X
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Netflix
Summary Miu (Angela Bundalovic), a young woman with supernatural gifts, travels to Copenhagen to find out about her past and seek justice in this six-part series from Nicolas Winding Refn. [Premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 9 Sep 2022; set to air in the US on Netflix sometime in 2022]
Created By: Nicolas Winding Refn
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Netflix
Copenhagen Cowboy
Season 1 Premiere: Jan 5, 2023
63
6.9
Where to Watch
Summary Miu (Angela Bundalovic), a young woman with supernatural gifts, travels to Copenhagen to find out about her past and seek justice in this six-part series from Nicolas Winding Refn. [Premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 9 Sep 2022; set to air in the US on Netflix sometime in 2022]
Created By: Nicolas Winding Refn
Where to Watch
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
63
36% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
64% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
63
36% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
64% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Like an illusive dream that takes part in a deadly dance with more cosmic nightmares that keep creeping in, Refn’s Copenhagen Cowboy is a gem into which one can only stare and catch refractions of the world in all their sickening yet silly splendor.
It’s difficult to imagine casual Netflix subscribers taking to Refn’s unbridled-Id thriller, but fans of the unpredictable, the bizarre, and the deviant will be delighted to see the streamer investing so heavily in the auteur’s flights of phantasmagoric fancy.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.9
64% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
24% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
12% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.9
64% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
24% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
12% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
warning: This is an attempt at art, not entertainment. This is not for an escapist Netflix audience weaned on algo-generated series with pulpy "storylines" and " exciting plots". Still, it is Netflix, so Refn had to pitch something far more palatable than Neon Demon, which is his masterpiece on the role of the body and art in our post-modern society. So he probably promised something à la "Imagine a Manga version of Twin Peaks **** in a somptuous sado-masochistic YSL fashion show".
And he delivers in the first 3 episodes or so, even if people might complain it's "empty". Same people who would complain Rohmer is empty probably! The relationship between Miu, our protagonist, and Cimona is rendered poignant and true by a minimalist acting and camera work, focusing on slow movement of body parts that reminds of ...Bresson (there I said it) and which contrasts dramatically with the cartoonish, gaudy and ultra-artificial world of the Albanian mafia.
He did this before in "Too Old To Die Young", but the reduction in artifice and elimination of a "plot" works for the best in my opinion.
The second half of the season is sadly, just like in his last endeavour, not as interesting and repetitive. The Cantonese side-story is totally pointless with some horrendous acting by the supporting Chinese actress; Miu's origin story completely shifts and becomes also that of a "super hero", which is preposterous. Another negative would be the lazy swine "oink" sounds layered on sexual acts.... it's too much on the ...nose, as well as the dumb / simplistic treatment of male characters.
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As was the case with his previous work Nicolas Winding Refn has no idea how to structure episodically and what he delivers in this show is basically a 6-hour long movie with little intermissions.
A 6-hour movie in which Refn unfortunately recycles himself all over again.
Visually it's impressive, but what about the story?
Copenhagen Cowboy moves forward in such a glacial way that it's inevitable not to wonder over and over again what its purpose is, or if it really has one in the first place.
If Refn has in mind that his work revolves more around the idea that it's all about the experience, in many cases I would agree with him, even if the conclusion of the experience was bad, but his story can hardly be considered cohesive or compelling, and what it does do is demand 6 hours of your time in which it offers very little that can be called rewarding.
Everything Nicolas Winding Refn has been doing in recent years as a filmmaker makes an appearance in this series, so there is no revelation or surprise in his workmanship.
And I doubt a seasoned viewer would consider this show a wild ride or be shocked by its themes and violence as many professional critics have mentioned. I know I wasn't.
I'd heard this series hopes to get a second season and its open-ended season finale clearly points to that, but I don't see anywhere how it's going to get it.
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While I appreciated many elements — particularly the look and surreal vibe — “Cowboy” moseys a little too slow for my tastes. That said, Winding Refn is a true original.
Miu’s supernatural origin story really only solidifies in the final episode, by which time some viewers will have lost patience with the narrative’s glacial tread and aura of self-love. If you stick with it, consenting to be mesmerised if also baffled, be warned that Copenhagen Cowboy is like many other supernatural odysseys which get lost in their own maze.
Refn spreads out his sensory overload, giving all the brooding and brashness ample space to breathe. It can be repetitive, yes, but never monotonous. ... But, at the end of the day, this is NWR for NWR-heads.
Not only does Refn’s new Netflix series check all the auteur’s signature boxes — searing neon light, near-silent protagonist, synth-heavy Cliff Martinez score — while revisiting plots, scenes, and even shots from his feature films (“Only God Forgives” and “The Neon Demon” feel particularly consequential), but it’s so slow to develop, so obtuse, and so open-ended, the first season doesn’t feel like a season at all; it feels like a pilot.
Refn has reportedly revealed that the title has nothing to do with this weird, hollow show and that he just liked the sound of the two words he chose before he even started writing. That process seems to capture the depth of this entire project, one that plays with a lot of interesting elements but has so little fun doing so.
In my estimation Nicholas Winding Refn has now made 4-5 absolute masterpieces (Drive, Bronson, Only God Forgives, Too Old To Die Young) and has also given us 4-5 absolute duds. (Fear X, Valhalla Rising, The Neon Demon, Copenhagen Cowboy.) I kept waiting for it to come together, but it only gets more and more confounding. Not even a couple old friends from the Pusher trilogy can save this total mess. Weird. Not in a good way.
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Nicolas Winding Refn has let me down again. 'Drive' was his peak because everything has been downhill from that. 'Copenhagen Cowboy' is another style-over-substance project that relies solely on visuals and morbid moments. The series feels like an amalgamation of everything he has done before, just adding some fantastic shots here and there. 'Too Old To Die Young' was frustrating, but at least it was somewhat interesting. This one is bonkers — not in a good way —, derivative, and dull. I can't comprehend how Netflix agreed to make this.
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Angela Bundalovic stands quietly most of this movie, as she plays a woman who gets involved in the city's dark side. The most important thing to know is that the director is Nicolas Winding Refn (or NWR as he's listed). He's known as a dramatic visual stylist and this is how I've described him in several of my other reviews of his work:
"The film certainly creates an intriguing world and there are some striking visuals, but as it progresses…so slowly…the pretentious approach loses its edge and the absurd twists just seem silly. It's painfully pretentious and intensely serious, so while it looks cool, it's just tedious."
If you can consider this series an experiment in weirdness, then just let it wash over you and be bemused by the parade of dull eccentricity (an edible might help).
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Rated a two because all we could stand and watch was 2 episodes. Slow, slow, slow beyond words! Acting if you can call it it acting can be interpreted as satire (think John Waters). Sex slaves, weird and crazy family running a brothel, and a pig farm all told at a snails pace.
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Production Company:
- NWR Film Productions
- Space Rocket Nation
Initial Release Date: Jan 5, 2023
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-MA
