‘Spinners’ Review: A Crime Drama Revving into Classic Territory

In the age of streaming wars, amidst the fight to control the percentages of who gets what of the trillions worth of content stored on these platforms, the underlying beauty of it all has been the direct access to all the films, and especially shows that would have otherwise disappeared with the decline of linear TV. Great shows like The Sopranos, Seinfeld, and Breaking Bad are today within arm’s reach to discover, rediscover, and enjoy endless binge-watching for a small monthly fee. However, our chance to witness new works that are unabashedly plot-driven, those that excel in characterisation, symbolism, and atmosphere before they earn their place as classics, has become rare with the age of streaming. Spinners, a Showmax Original crime-action drama produced in conjunction with Canal+, has every intention to carve its name within the halls of classic television, with an identity that it is purely and unapologetically South African, and with it, give Showmax a resounding lead in the continent’s streaming race.

Opening with high tensions inside a revving escape car, Ethan, the main protagonist, is introduced in his element: focused, driven, and with a rather big appetite for fortitude behind the wheels. By his side, a fellow gang member is begging him to drive off under the security of darkness. Then, gunshots come alive, and Spinners repeats a sequence seen in almost every crime drama of this generation: heightened intensity that is cut short for a time jump into the near past. What follows next, however, is a season’s worth of peak entertainment that, despite drawing inspiration from similar dramas like Breaking Bad and The Wire, finds its own tone and identity while delving into a completely uncharted world of Cape Town’s gang warfare.

Spanning eight mesmerising episodes, Spinners builds on itself with a very meticulous pace. The pilot alone has enough twists and turns that would be enough for any other show, exploring the brutality and unforgiving reality of gang wars and offering a detailed look into the men behind the triggers while opening itself to a coming-of-age teen drama revolving around “spinning,” a South African extreme motorsport that features drivers performing daredevil stunts—such as leaning out of windows or standing on the roof—while driving at high speeds. Told through the lens of 17-year-old Ethan who’s forced into one of these gangs by circumstances and whose life spins now out of his control, Spinners spares neither him nor its audience the cruelty of the world as he drives his way out of a life that has no intention of letting him go.

Every character, from the generals of the gangs to the lowly despot drug fiends, is given their fair share of attention, and the acting across the board is phenomenal, to say the least. Cantona James plays Ethan with a soiled innocence that holds the dual nature of the series together, contrasting the mature and brooding tones that gang leaders Damien and Hercules (portrayed excellently by Elton Landrew and Brendon Daniels respectively) with the gleeful ignorant wonder he shares with his fellow teenagers (played by Dillon Windvogel and Chelsea Thomas respectively). And the masterfully crafted script allows the show to delve into its characters’ depths; everyone has their time in front of the camera to act their hearts out. My favourite of the cast is Melanie du Bois, who shines as a mother and recovering addict who gives her all for the role, and Keeno Lee Hector is stellar as a father with a stained past. Even throwaway gang members and undercover police have moments to sketch their identities throughout the narrative, and none ever miss their mark.

“This is not just a job; it’s a life.” Crime shows are everywhere now, embellished with guns, sex, drugs, and so much testosterone to work up action scenes that audiences are increasingly growing numb to. Spinners antidote, as with every good crime show, is to do the expected well enough and build around its core characters. Ethan spins between overwhelming, helpless situations at the mercy of luck and the slip-ups of other characters while trying to step into a different foreign life with love, spinning cars, and friendship. Damien, the gang leader, is split between fighting his adversaries, split factions in his operation, his split loyalties, his mortality, and the weight of his conscience. The gangs, police, and families have their own complex moral dilemmas to work through, everyone keeping up with the intentions of the other, and the narrative rarely relies on the ignorance of any character to push itself forward. All ingredients for a well-knit emotional roller-coaster that makes every single episode progressively more entertaining than the last.

And if all that is not enough, the technical team behind Spinners strings together some of the most riveting sequences I have seen for a production, let alone an African one. There are no wasted scenes, and there is great proficiency in all the ones that matter. Every punch feels weighted, and every gun display feels menacing. Car chase scenes and gun brawls go through all the motions and emotions, shifting from tactical military drills to sporadic gang arrogance when they need to. The set locations and lighting highlight the contrasting divide between the lives of the characters, and the direction by Jaco Bouwer within the scenes holds every character accountable to their environment. For a show about cars, it’s so satisfying to hear the roar of an engine, even on a casual drive. The car stunts and the acrobatics tied to the spinning side of the show are sparingly used throughout the show but are well executed every time.

I could go on for hours about everything I love about Spinners. It packs more within eight episodes than most shows could in five seasons or more. However, as polished as it is in terms of long-term potential, it’s the sort of front-loaded affair that invites scepticism as to whether the idiosyncratic tone can be maintained when so much ground has been covered in its first season. For this season, however, Spinners’ audacity wins my heart and is a worthy addition to the bar-raising run of African productions.

Spinners is now streaming on Showmax.

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