La Máquina - Full Season Review

The following article is a non-spoiler review of La Máquina after a free screening of the first episode, and early access for the remaining episodes.

Being both a huge boxing and movie fan, I have consumed nearly all the boxing dramas out there, whether it be Rocky, Creed, The Fighter, Southpaw, etc. Despite the number of boxing stories made for the big screen, there have surprisingly been very few created for television. So when I heard Disney+ were debuting a boxing limited series starring Andor’s Diego Luna, one of my favourite actors from one of my favourite franchises, I instantly knew I’d be watching the whole thing.

What immediately surprised me was that the series, despite starring some huge actors known in the American/English-speaking market, is spoken entirely in Mexican, and it’s something I actually appreciated. While I was aware the series was set in Mexico, I hadn’t researched its language details. A very common mistake Hollywood makes is “Americanising” everything, setting media in certain countries, yet everyone speaks English. Today, it’s a bit more on trend to keep the language faithful to the region, whether it be Squid Game, Dark, or Money Heist. While I’m usually one to dub, the screened first episode was shown in Spanish with subtitles, and I will never select dubbing again.

La Máquina has quite clearly been developed by a creative with a love for boxing, as is evident from the show’s accuracy for the sport and its behind the scenes, even touching on the less dramatic aspects such as the commissions. The series even goes so far as to feature broadcast personalities known to the boxing world, such as famed ring announcer David Diamante, and sport pundit Stephen A. Smith.

Researching the series’ developer, Marco Ramirez, it is evident why he created this drama. While I knew him for his work on Marvel’s Daredevil, a show with heavy boxing elements, Ramirez has also produced The Royale, a Broadway play released in 2016. Having read a quote he gave discussing his approach when creating this play, I understood why La Máquina was a story Ramirez had to tell:

“As a sport, its stripped-down aesthetic resonated with me because it felt like the simplest, purest form of theatre. Two enter the ring. One wins. End of story.”

A persisting theme throughout the six episodes is one of family; that sense is felt between Esteban (Gael García Bernal) and ex-wife Irasema (Eiza González) and their two boys, the peculiar familial relations between Andy and his mother, as well as the non blood-related, yet strained family found between the three leads, which goes through all the highs and lows of any family. While many dub the series as a boxing show, I think that descriptor is inaccurate. When I described the series to friends who I was trying to convince to watch it, I described it first and foremost as a family drama – the boxing comes second. The family drama tests these close relations throughout its multi-hour runtime, creating a sense of heightened emotions and gives the fantastic cast plenty to work with.

The strongest aspect of the series is certainly the star-studded cast, or rather the performances they give. Gael García Bernal delivers a soul-tearing display of a once accomplished boxer now dealing with the physical and emotional tolls the sport cruelly afflicts many of its sportspeople with. While the series does rest on the shoulders of Bernal, he by no means is alone in carrying it. The performer that perhaps shocked me the most was that of Diego Luna, who puts on a surprising display of his range, departing

from the typical honorable action hero in Andor, to a slimy, money-hungry boxing promoter with a hint of morals. Luna has clearly done his research, with his character clearly based off Hall of Fame promoter Oscar De La Hoya, from the way his clients describe his business methods, to the way he is fixated on his appearance, featuring clear botox enhancements.

In short, fans of boxing dramas and the Rocky movies will get exactly what they’re looking for – a macho series centered around a boxer who wins some and loses some, combined with fantastically choreographed action setpieces in the boxing ring and homages to the modern day boxing culture, but will also be surprised by the drama aspects of the show, accompanied by strong performances, touching moments, and family matters that will engrave the series in the memories of viewers for generations.