Nocturne, a new Apple TV series that began streaming two days ago, is being hailed by critics as gripping and compelling, with Stephen Graham's portrayal of serial killer Jurek Walter described as TV's most evil serial killer.
The show stars Stephen Graham, Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Rory Culkin. Graham plays Jurek Walter, a man incarcerated for life for torturing and murdering his victims, yet still controlling events from behind bars. The series opens with Walter persuading a fellow inmate to take his own life.
Critics praise Graham's terrifying performance
Guardian film and TV critic Lucy Mangan said: "Stephen Graham is TV's most evil serial killer and it's impossible to stop watching him," adding that "with his high-pitched giggles and fatal whispers, it is a perfectly terrifying show."
Mangan also wrote: "It has taken a while. But I think the torch may finally have passed from Anthony Hopkins as the screen's most profoundly unsettling and instantly-absorbed-by-the-cultural-imagination serial killer. From Hannibal's hitherto unfailing hands it has been thrown to Stephen Graham. Graham – muscle-bound, preternaturally still and occasionally emitting a high-pitched giggle – is mesmerising and utterly terrifying."
Plot and critical reception
The plot centres on one of Walter's supposed victims unexpectedly turning up alive, leaving Schreiber's detective Jonah Lynn to find the one victim still missing. The series is adapted from the bestselling Scandi noir books Joona Linna.
Nocturne currently holds a score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Writing in Variety, Aramide Tinubu described the show as "thoroughly captivating" and "a wildly entertaining ride that gets better with every episode", noting that "audiences never see the full picture".
In The Mercury News, Randy Myers said "Graham and Culkin give scorched-earth performances that are electrifying to witness", adding: "Apple TV's gripping serial killer thriller is undeniably twisted, absorbing and suspenseful."
Mixed viewer reactions
Not all viewers have been impressed. One Rotten Tomatoes reviewer wrote: "I'm sorry, but I fell asleep. I watched one episode. I will hope that it gets better." Another said: "Pretty boring so far for an Apple show, nothing special."
Nocturne is streaming now on Apple TV.
