Samuel L. Jackson's Near-Perfect Crime Miniseries Is An Underseen Gem On Peacock

Peacock

The 2024 Peacock miniseries "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" began its life as a podcast of the same name, and both tell the true story of an armed robbery that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 26, 1970. Muhammad Ali had been drummed out of the sport in 1967 for being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. For boxing fans, October 26, 1970, was the night Ali made his well-publicized comeback fight in a match against Jerry Quarry. The boxing match wasn't as well-covered by the press as the heist, however, nor the man at the center of it, Gordon "Chicken Man" Williams, played by Kevin Hart in the miniseries. 

It seems that Williams was blamed for orchestrating a clever robbery idea. Williams printed up some invites to a post-fight party and handed them out to many of the wealthier members of the fight audience. When the fight was over, the invitees headed to Williams' house, thinking they were going to attend a gala, but were instead pulled inside and robbed at gunpoint. It's unclear if Williams knew that the heist would happen. Some of the victims were members of the Black Mafia. The "Fight Night" podcast also follows Detective J.D. Hudson very closely, as he was one of the first Black detectives in newly desegregated Atlanta. In the miniseries, J.D. Hudson is played by Don Cheadle. He was Muhammad Ali's bodyguard for the match. 

The miniseries boasts an amazingly impressive cast. In addition to Cheadle and Howard, Taraji P. Henson plays Vivian "Sweets" Thomas, Samuel L. Jackson (read about his best performances!) plays Frank "Black Godfather" Moten, and Terrence Howard plays "Cadillac Richie" Wheeler. The miniseries came and went without much notice, but it received positive reviews.

Peacock

"Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" ran for eight 45-minute-ish episodes over the course of six weeks. It tells the story of the heist and the ensuing post-crime investigation. "Chicken Man" Williams works with J.D. Hudson to find the true perpetrators of the heist, and also must convince the dangerous gangster "Black Godfather" Moten that he was innocent. The investigation is ultimately frustrated by a shootout that kills any potential collaborators, narrowing everything down to ... well, I won't spoil the surprise. I will say that there's a reason why so many celebrities are involved: one of them plays the real perpetrator. (Fun trivia: Both Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle played War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.) 

As indicated by the shootout, "Fight Night" is a violent and crime-riddled show about double-crosses and setups. There's a moment, for instance, when Moten gets the drop on Chicken Man, but refrains from killing him for strategic reasons; he wants to see how people in the underground might react. Audiences will also eventually learn that the heist wasn't so much about money as it was about personal revenge against one of the robbery victims. It's hard to talk about the plot for "Fight Night" without giving too much away, but just know that this was all based on fact. 

Dexter Darden plays Muhammad Ali, although he is only a minor player in the post-heist drama. (Ali could beat up Superman, you know.) Lori Harvey plays real-life actress Lola Falana, and RonReaco Lee plays Leroy R. Johnson, the real-life Georgian senator at the time. He was the first Black senator elected to the legislature in over 50 years, so there's some great history underneath "Fight Night." It's not just a crime drama. 

Peacock

"Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist," while not terribly well-publicized, was still a hit with critics. The miniseries has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews. Eric Deggans, reviewing the series on NPR, said that it was "quite the knockout" that "looks at a pivotal moment for Black America." Speaking to A. Martinez, Deggans noted: 

"It should feel like an overstuffed affair, like a party with too many guests squeezed on the dance floor. But instead, when one story sags, like Chicken Man's work organizing a party, another one picks up. For example, Cheadle's Detective J.D. Hudson is a Black man looked down on by white cops and many Black people. Hudson hates Ali for resisting the draft, but a Black politician tells him to get over his feelings because guarding the champ will help the detective's image with Black people." 

Rendy Jones, meanwhile, writing for RogerEbert.com, loved the show's style, writing: 

"Within the series' first four episodes, 'Fight Night' does a fairly decent job of doubling as a period piece rooted in engaging history, while lovingly evoking the style of the Black-led films of that era. Quick zooms and split screens, flourishes endemic to the 1970s crime and Blaxploitation genres, align perfectly with the throwback heist structure and the show's darkly comic tone."

Jones disagreed with Deggans, however, feeling that the ensemble was a little too large and overstuffed. But that didn't prevent him from enjoying it. He did, however, note that the wigs were a problem; no one's hair looked entirely natural. But that, of course, is a mere quibble in what sounds like a bracing and exciting period piece. "Fight Night" is still on Peacock.