Netflix This: ‘White Collar’

I was quickly charmed and enticed by the suave con man gone FBI consultant (strictly circumstantial, of course), Neal Caffrey, played by Matt Bomer. USA Network’s White Collar, has been gaining popularity and for good reason. Currently in it’s third season, the show has an undeniable wit, a fabulous cast, and an exciting story line. It brings you into the fantastical realm of the rich and famous who commit crimes ranging from racketeering, bond forgery, art theft, and money laundering. Neal Caffrey and his slick suit are stuck in limbo between a past of plunder and a second chance to set his life straight with the FBI.

Jeff Eastin created White Collar and has done the bulk of the writing, although he has not done all of the writing alone. Without giving to much away, here is my short description of the show:

Neal Caffrey was a successful con man in a suit, until he got caught—twice. Upon his second arrest, he had knowledge the FBI needed, so with his intelligent reasoning Caffrey landed himself in a tracking anklet outside of prison. Now, he still wears a suit. He lives with a wealthy black woman named June and cannot go beyond a 12 mile radius in NYC or he goes back to prison. He serves as an FBI consultant for catching other white collar criminals or he goes back to prison. Agent Peter Burke is his overseer that relishes the fact that he caught Neal Caffrey—twice.

Matt Bomer has done an exceptional job filling the role as Neal Caffrey. He has mastered the captivating smooth talker that everyone loves on the forefront, while maintaining a devious, yet uncertain side that only the audience can see through his body language and subtle emotions. Bomer’s alluring smile, sensational blue eyes, and downright attractiveness also helps uphold the ever so intriguing Neal Caffrey.

Caffrey’s counterpart and overseer is agent Peter Burke, who heads the White Collar crime unit at the FBI (Tim DeKay). His character is clearly dedicated to working for the FBI, but his life at home with his wife and dog (no kids) is also a relevant sub-plot on the show. Tiffani Thiessen (Good Morning, Miami, Saved by the Bell) plays Burke’s wife Elizabeth, who in all honesty I find to be a rather useless character on the show; nonetheless, Burke needs to have some sort of life outside of the FBI to understand who is character is.

The man who helps Caffrey stay connected with the high rolling criminal world is Mozzie (Willie Garson). He is by far one of the best characters on the show, with his mysterious ability to stay out of the government database, resourceful intellect, and humorous one-liners. He teases Caffrey by explaining, in his own way, the atrocity working for the government under the thumb of a “suit” (FBI agent in Mozzie terms). Below is Burke (left) and Mozzie (right), they get along when they have to.

Some technical aspects of the show worth speaking to are the cinematography and the soundtrack. The cinematography in the show is credited mostly to Russell Lee Fine (The Wire, SherryBaby). The camera  doesn’t stay still very often, but it’s not a style similar to The Office where the camera screams for attention with a guerilla handheld film style. Instead, the camera movement is smooth, which I assume can be attributed to cranes and expensive dollies. It looks amazing and with the presence of a stylistic choice to use a lot of rack focus it really adds to the overall aesthetic look and feel of White Collar.

As for the soundtrack, the show contains original music by Jon Ehrlich, who has also done pieces for shows like House M.D. and The Guardian. For the most part the soundtrack is electronically manipulated with a lot of jazz and rock influences. When the soundtrack heightens drama on the show there are a lot of momentum building crescendos that call for eerie chimes and drums. The soundtrack has a nice balance that compliments the show rather than taking away from it. Another interesting tidbit regarding the soundtrack is that Matt Bomer was credited for singing a song used in episode 13, Countermeasures, in the second season; the man has quite a voice.

The show is currently on the 11th episode (of 15) in the third season, so things are winding down. I’m no con, but hopefully you are somewhat convinced that the show is worth an episode or two, inevitably leading you to a season or two on Netflix. What do you have to lose? It may strike your fancy.

Netflix This: White Collar