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HBOsPerry Masonbears very little resemblance to the CBS version ofPerry Mason.
Who could forgetThe New Perry Mason, which aired for a single season on CBS in the early 1970s?
A lot of people?
The 2020Perry Mason, which casts Matthew Rhys in the titular role, is not thatPerry Mason.
If life had a decency clause, this Perry Mason would definitely be in violation of it.
Hes a heavy drinker.
He regularly steals things from crime scenes, including entire human corpses.
Hes got a dirty mouth and a lack of regard for most institutional authorities.
But when hes asked by his mentor, exhausted and mentally fraying attorney E.B.
As previously noted, the acting in this series is superb, starting with Matthew Rhys.
Rhyss Perry is a hothead, prone to explosive blow-ups when circumstances conspire against him.
But the main emotion that radiates from him is sadness.
Rhys is just one in an almost endless parade of standout actors.
Rylance infuses her with intelligence and cool-headedness, qualities far more suited to lawyering than Perrys impetuousness.
When Rhys eventually does that, he looks and sounds nothing like the ramrod-straight Raymond Burr.
As previously noted, hes messy.
But that messiness also makes this well-known fictional figure much more interesting.
