Nemesis Season 1 Review : This pulpy crime-series has slick action but is also clunky and cliched.

Story: When a high-profile robbery is pulled off on Halloween night, it sets off a cat and mouse chase between the LAPD and the gang of thieves, triggering a tangled series of events.

Review: 'Nemesis' opens with a heist - at a posh Beverly Hills gala, a glamourous couple bribe the security to buy themselves a few moments of privacy in one of the restricted rooms. But behind the closed doors, we discover it is a ploy to carry out a robbery at the same house. While the guard waits outside for them to finish and leave, the woman jams the electronic security system and the man sneaks from the side entrance to meet his gang in the car park. And together they bust a secret poker game in progress and make away with all the cash. But one of them also snatched an heirloom, luxury watch - a costly mistake because it can be traced back to the gang. And it becomes a piece of key evidence that is being pursued in the investigation.

Back in the police station when detective Isaiah Styles (Mathew Law) is briefed about the crime, he senses a similar pattern of robberies from two years back. And it brings back painful memories of losing his trusted trainee Manny to a shootout by the gang during a police raid. Isaiah, fully committed to finding Manny's killer, takes over the case. But with the gang always operating with different masks to hide their face, he has no idea who is after.

The mastermind, however, is revealed to us - Coltrane Wilder (Y'lan Noel), a reformed ex-convict, now living with the squeaky clean image of a charismatic Black business honcho and a real-estate mogul. His wife, Ebony (Cleopatra Coleman) helps him in running the luxury property firm, which is also a front for their criminal activities and dabbles in charity events to keep up the good image. When her path crosses with Isaiah's estranged wife, Candace (Gabrielle Dennis) they strike up a friendship, unaware that their husbands are soon to become each other's arch nemesis.

'Nemesis' seems to be inspired by the 1995 Al Pacino - Robert De Niro film, Heat and almost plays out like a series version with a similar storyline. The action is slick - with dramatic gun fights on the streets of LA between masked gangsters and cops, relentless chase sequences and shoot outs. The narrative packs in the tension of the Styles almost closing in on Wilder several times, but not quite managing to nab him. There is a lot going on in Styles' family life besides just his marital separation - he has a strained relationship with his son, Noah (Cedric Joe) which he would like to repair and an acrimonious one with his own father, Amos (Moe Irvin) which he has no intentions of reviving. Amos has his own history of being a gangster and brings in his share of disruption to the story. Ebony, on the other hand, would like Wilder to give up his double life and lead a clean one but for that she has to have her sister, Charlie's (Sophina Brown) buy- in.

However, with eight episodes of one hour each, 'Nemesis' struggles to keep it crisp, even as the intrigue and drama builds up in this predictable story. Also it feels like the cops and robbers chase sidetracks into a soapy family drama in the last two episodes, making the narrative very clunky, with Ebony and Candace also jumping into the fray. It definitely gets chaotic as there are way too many characters injected into the main story.

But overall if one is into action-dramas, Nemesis is gripping owing to compelling performances from Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel. Their rivalry and face-offs are pulpy and cliched but also very entertaining. And of course, there is a cliffhanger ending to perhaps usher in the next season.