Ten years ago, Sneaky Pete was one of the first Amazon Prime Video original series.
Now, Sneaky Pete is streaming on Netflix, and new viewers are discovering the joys of watching Giovanni Ribisi in the title role.
Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston cocreated this series about a con artist, Marius Josipović (Ribisi), who steals the identity of his former cellmate to hide from a gangster. Instead of finding a place to hide among Pete’s family, Marius finds himself in even deeper trouble.
Now, it’s time to share the reasons why you should watch Sneaky Pete on Netflix.
Giovanni Ribisi’s Title Character Is a Compelling Antihero
The challenge of Sneaky Pete is that its main character is doing something underhanded that we wouldn’t accept in real life. Pretending to be family to the Bowmans is low, and yet Marius threatens to go even lower by planning to rob them. The only redeeming aspect of Marius’s actions is that he needs the money to save himself and his brother, and he does seem to have some real affection for his newfound ‘family.”
Marius may be amoral, but he isn’t a monster. Ribisi’s performance adds dimension to his character. He’s not just a con artist, but he’s also not likely to change or willingly come clean to the people who accepted him as one of their own.
Bryan Cranston Gets To Really Break Bad
Cranston is an Emmy winner for playing Walter White on Breaking Bad, a former school teacher who turned into the villain of his own story. But from the start of Sneaky Pete, Vince Lonigan is bad to the bone, and Cranston seems to relish playing a gangster who is a genuinely unrepentant and menacing character.
As much as Vince wants to get his pound of flesh from Marius for his past transgressions, he also appears to enjoy the cat-and-mouse game between them. Vince thinks he has the upper hand because he’s got Marius’ brother, Eddie Josipović (Michael Drayer). That story unfolds in the first season until Marius and Vince finally get some closure.
The Ongoing Story Is Excellent
Without giving away too much, we can say that Marius doesn’t have an easy way out of his life as Pete, even when season 1 gives way to seasons 2 and 3. For better or worse, he’s now deeply tied to the bail bondsman business run by Pete’s grandmother, Audrey (American Crime Story’s Margo Martindale), and her husband, Otto (Peter Gerety)
Marius also forms relationships with Pete’s cousins, Julia (Marin Ireland), Taylor (Shane McRae) and Carly (Libe Barer), all of whom have secrets and drama of their own. The Bowman family is simultaneously the victims of Marius’ con as well as the benefactors of his unique skills in certain situations. Given the family business, it leaves viewers wondering what will happen if they ever learn the truth about who Marius really is.
Sneaky Pete is now streaming on Netflix.
