The Bondsman
By Sioph W. Leal
Bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) comes back from the dead, resurrected with the instruction to track, trap and send escaped demons back to Hell otherwise he returns to the torturous fate. Demons aren’t the only ones getting in Hub’s way as he unravels the plot to kill him, family conflict can get in the way. Hub confronts his own condemnation and pushes for a second chance at life with the family he let down while facing the reason he’s marked for Hell.
It's not just demon hunting that Hub is tasked with. He’s rightly upset about his murder, made worse when it’s discovered that his ex-wife’s boyfriend, Lucky (Damon Herriman) ordered the hit. Hub must contend with that while trying to stop a demonic force or he returns to Hell. Ex-wife Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles) is encouraging their son, Cade (Maxwell Jenkins) to pursue his love of music while they navigate Hub’s resurgence in their lives. Being killed and resurrected might just be the thing that puts life in perspective and to look out for what he wants. Determined to help her son, Kitty (Beth Grant) comes out of her management role to ensure her son doesn’t get dragged back to Hell, but she doesn’t stop there as she weaves through the other plots to ensure her family's safety and happiness.
The series is perfect with Bacon as leading man Hub. There’s a violence in him unleashed when he fights the escaped demons and even more when he seeks revenge in the first episode against the ones who killed him. Bacon makes Hub cool, collected and calm but when he explodes, it's magnetic, gory and violent. A perfect hint in the mystery of what Hub did to ensure his time in Hell. The demon hunts are the most fun of the series but Hub as a character draws you in completely, you root for him even throughout and only see him as a man determined to protect his broken family and saving the world, although that one isn’t as big of a priority. His characterisation is one of the more interesting aspects of the show including the dynamics with everyone else. There’s resistance, at first, towards new boss
One of the many good things about The Bondsman, is that it doesn’t waste any time on unnecessary side plots or anything that could take away from the story. Even Maryanne and Cade’s singing career is a big factor into the characterisation and creates some touching moments so different from the gore and violence but add more depth to the well-established characters that carries an emotional weight at the end of the series. The family dynamic is a good dynamic thanks to the well-developed characters from the get-go, it easily gets you involved in their world and knows their history without over-explanation, you know what happened thanks to the clever writing and well paced story. It’s a character driven piece with layered performance that builds up to a brilliant finale.
Visually, it’s a fun show too. The demon kills are unique with variations to the kills and hunts that truly grip you into the story and it never gets tired or repetitive. In the eight-episode run there is never a dull moment. It's action packed, fun, gory and has heart with the potential to be another great series for Amazon if they renew.
The Bondman premiers April 3, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video.