La Máquina is Hulu’s first-ever Spanish language series and is also produced by Searchlight TV. Marco Ramirez serves as the showrunner and he gathered quite the cast for Hulu’s first foray into this genre. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as the titular character, with Diego Luna, Eiza Gonzalez and Lucía Méndez, Jorge Perugorría, Andrés Delgado, Karina Gidi, and Dariam Coco. Bernal and Luna are reuniting onscreen for the first time since 2010, and also executive produce his six-episode limited series together.
Interestingly, the show was first dreamed up by Luna and Bernal, who are also longtime friends and collaborators as a feature film project over a decade ago. But this boxing story evolved over the years into a longer format and will finally see the light of day as a limited series. It follows Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna (Bernal), a professional boxer in the latter part of his career, as he realizes that his body can’t keep up, and neither can his mind. At the same time, his friend and manager Andy Lujan (Luna) makes a deal that gets both of them indebted to dangerous people from the criminal underworld.
After losing a fight to a newcomer, Esteban is contemplating whether he’s still worthy of the title he’s given “La Máquina”, which translates to The Machine. His mental health also starts declining and he starts seeing hallucinations which are heavily connected to his past. Bernal is a great actor no doubt, and he gets into just the right shape to make you believe that this is a boxer in the final stage of his career. Not going all out on the physique was a very smart decision. He makes you believe that La Máquina may not have the physical advantage but rather beats his opponents with his technique and experience. His performance is really good.
Eiza Gonzalez is decent here as Esteban’s ex-wife Irasema. She has a very significant role in the story, as she is not only Esteban’s biggest supporter but also a journalist who’s trying to uncover the illegal dealings going on in the world of boxing. She is an actress who just feels like she’s already reached her potential and will probably not go on to become a movie star or a compelling dramatic actress. I hope she proves me wrong. Jorge Perugorría also gets to shine and there’s a particular scene in episode 1 where he just knocks it out of the park.
But the true scene-stealer here is Diego Luna. He’s always been a great actor, whether as Cassian Andor or as Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, but Andy Lujan is (at least for me) a complete departure from his usual roles and shows the extent of his range. He is an insecure mama’s boy who loves Esteban and will do anything for him. He may be absurd and does desperate things but never has the wrong intention. Luna steals every scene that he is in, and will make you laugh constantly. His makeup almost makes him unrecognizable and despite all that his expressions and dialogue delivery were spot on.
Marco Ramirez got his characters and the dynamics spot on, right from the start. For a fictional boxing story, it is sometimes difficult to offer something different and hook the viewer. But the characters here are so enjoyable to watch that you will be hooked right from the beginning. The first two episodes are fun and engaging, but the second half of the show is where it truly;y starts to captivate you with its treatment of mental health and trauma. One sequence in particular in the penultimate episode is one of the best sequences you’ll see all year. The show could’ve been structured better and struggles to handle dark turns but it is still engaging.
La Máquina regularly packs solid punches of entertainment and is a machine oiled well enough to keep you engaged thanks to its magnetic performances and energetic screenplay. Luna delivers the most hilarious performance of his career and Bernal shines again in the ring, this time as a boxer. It will be interesting to see how all the heavy plotlines land in the finale, but this rumble so far has been delightfully pleasing. It is arguably a comedy but also deals with relevant dark themes at the same time. Luna and Bernal’s on-screen reteaming is a winner so far and a strong recommendation.
All episodes of La Máquina will stream on Hulu on October 9.
