Hulu Review: ‘La Máquina’ Benefits from a Formidable Reteaming of Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna

There’s a whole world of great content out there, and the “one-inch tall barrier of subtitles” described by filmmaker Bong Joon Ho sometimes holds audiences back from discovering it. Yet streaming television has been a remarkable environment for diverse international storytelling, exporting country-specific genres and styles across oceans. Hulu takes a significant step forward with its first-ever Spanish-language series, a familiar tale of a fading boxer and his manager enhanced by strong performances and an involving cinematic approach.

Esteban Osuna (Gael García Bernal), better known in the ring as La Máquina, steps in for a big fight and is seen moments later in an ambulance on his way to the hospital, having suffered a brutal knockout almost immediately. Two months later, his manager and longtime best friend Andy Lujan (Diego Luna) hatches a plan to get him a rematch that will require Esteban to make weight in a short time and confront his insecurities. The pressure only mounts when Andy’s efforts to cut corners and ensure a big payday come back to haunt him and the only path forward to avert a violent fate is strict compliance.

This series, which comes from Searchlight Television, offers a very welcome reunion for Bernal and Luna, who nearly two decades ago starred together in Y tu mamá también. Both have since become well-known to American audiences for their performances in American television shows, Mozart in the Jungle and Andor, respectively, and Bernal just last year got physical as wrestler Saúl Armendáriz in Cassandro. The two have excellent chemistry and the nature of their relationship on this show is exceptionally interesting, defined by years of collaboration but also a divergence of priorities and methods to achieve them.

Unlike Bernal’s interpretation in Cassandro, Esteban is more reserved and not nearly as showy, particularly at the point audiences meet him. He complains about being recognized when he goes places though doesn’t seem to mind all that much, and he’s haunted by flashes to his failures and fears of loneliness. His path back to some semblance of glory is far less harrowing than the one depicted in the TIFF world premiere The Cut, which drills down on the extremely unhealthy process of doing everything possible to make weight, but it still comes with certain pressures. There are moments in which this show resembles the underrated FX drama Lights Out, which followed Holt McCallany’s dementia-stricken boxer, in its depiction of its protagonist’s mental state.

Luna is as charismatic as he was as the lead of Narcos: Mexico, but considerably less in control, prone to bad decisions and to working with the wrong people to help get himself out of them. It’s certainly unsettling to watch him spin out but also riveting. Fresh off the first season of 3 Body Problem, Eiza González turns in an entirely different but equally terrific performance here as Esteban’s ex-wife Irasema, who enjoys a cordial relationship with him and is set on investigating and exposing the dangerous nature of the boxing industry and the consequences for its athletes.

La Máquina, which drops its six episodes all at once, doesn’t feel as if it’s reinventing the wheel but rather opting for a familiar setup with characters whose stories are far more interesting and engaging than their surroundings. The trio of talented Mexican stars make it very much worth watching, extracting meaning and purpose from the well-written roles they play. The show at the same time feels present and urgent while its primary protagonists feel hopelessly trapped in the past, not caught up with the world they live in and still clinging to old dreams.

Series Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: Bernal and Luna have both been honored as nominees (and a winner, in Bernal’s case) at the Golden Globes, and this show’s awards success may be all about timing in the wake of Shōgun’s historic Emmy take. As long as people watch it, it’s likely they’ll at least get some attention, as could – and should – Gonzalez.