Streaming: “Landman”: Oil, drugs and Billy Bob Thornton in top form

His job involves certain risks. In the very first scene of “Landman,” Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris negotiates with members of a drug cartel. Negotiating is putting it mildly. Because Tommy is tied to a chair and has a sack over his head. But the hardliner refuses to be intimidated and thus saves his life. In West Texas, near the border with Mexico, it has to be washed by all means. Tommy is the focus of the series “Landman,” which has been streaming on Paramount+ since November 18th.

Looking at the people in the oil industry

Norris is a landman, to put it simply, an oil drilling supervisor for a multi-billion dollar corporation run by his boss Monty Miller (Jon Hamm). A landman is responsible for the acquisition and management of land and mineral rights, legal, contractual and regulatory matters – in principle, almost everything that keeps things running, or rather, keeping the oil flowing.

“It’s not just about the oil, it’s about people,” said Billy Bob Thornton to the German Press Agency in London. “Landman” is definitely not a statement for or against the oil industry. “It wasn’t written with an agenda and shouldn’t be seen that way. It’s about what’s going on. These things happen. I think it’s interesting to see what’s going on in this world. We show the light and dark sides.”

Ten episodes from the “Yellowstone” creator

The ten episodes, which are released weekly on Paramount+, were written by multi-talented Taylor Sheridan. It has already brought the streaming service many award-winning successes, including “Yellowstone” with Kevin Costner as well as the two prequels “1883” and “1923” and “Tulsa King” with Sylvester Stallone.

“There are only a few people who are currently at the peak of their creativity, and Taylor is clearly one of them. And it’s incredibly attractive to be involved,” said Jon Hamm to the German Press Agency in London. “I’ve never seen this story on TV, and that’s saying something.”

Sheridan combines elements of westerns and drama in his series and paints a multifaceted portrait of the USA. His focus is often on the conflict between traditional America and the modern world. In “Landman” it’s the oil industry fighting against its bad reputation and trying to defend its place against renewable energy while it’s already heading towards its end, as Tommy states: “We’ll run out of oil at some point.”

Professional and private dramas

Norris was briefly rich himself. Now he’s a divorced, self-described recovering alcoholic $500,000 in debt. “And I’m another one who got lucky,” he says as he sips his beer. After all, there’s hardly any alcohol in it, he makes it clear to the concerned innkeeper and explains why he doesn’t order whiskey.

A serious accident in which a tanker truck crashes into a plane that had landed on a road for a drug deal and an explosion at a drilling well cause problems for Tommy’s career. In his private life, he is stressed out by his spoiled daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) and his ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter), with whom he is still at loggerheads. Son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) tries his hand at a life-threatening job on the drilling rig as a so-called roughneck.

Signature role for Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton, Hollywood’s eternal insider tip, gives one of the best performances of his career in “Landman.” This is also due to the wonderful dialogues and Tommy’s sarcastic sayings. Despite the dramatic and gripping story, the series, which is based on the podcast “Boomtown”, has a lot of humor.

“When you mix humor and drama, critics always say, ‘They can’t decide,'” Thornton said. “You could just as easily say that life can’t decide. Because that’s just how life is. People behave according to the situation, that means humor, drama, bad things, sadness, joy, everything. That’s how it should be . And Taylor implemented it brilliantly.”

Demi Moore as billionaire’s wife

Critics also occasionally complain that Taylor Sheridan’s series are too male and too conservative. That’s only partly true here. Ali Larter (“Final Destination”) is terrific as Angela. And with the young lawyer Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace) there is another strong counterpart to Norris. The oil cowboy is dependent on what he considers to be a “woke” high-flyer, but he has a few verbal battles with her – and not just about the meaning of oil.

“What you think about it, what kind of opinion you have about it, is not dictated here,” Demi Moore made clear in the dpa interview. “Everyone decides for themselves.” The Hollywood veteran plays Cami, Monty Miller’s wife. What significance she has for the series is not made clear in the first few episodes, in which she only appears briefly.

With great images, interesting characters and a gripping soundtrack that mixes classic film music with country hits, “Landman” is a modern western series with a cinematic flair. The highlight is Billy Bob Thornton: You just have to like his rough-necked Tommy Norris, this stubborn underdog who has a big heart despite his hard shell.