It’s kill or be killed and taking sides in Keith Sutliff’s post-apocalyptic thriller, Suitcase City. Its pilot episode, “A City Amongst The Ruins,” sets the stage. It’s 2054, and nuclear war has ravaged the planet. Suitcase City is the hub of all Northern America’s vital resources, including oil, gas, transportation, arms and ammunition, and food. It’s called Suitcase City because of the travelers entering and exiting the city.
The problem is that this important is ruled by the ruthless street gang known as SR 20. Anarchy rules and humanity’s only hope come from a small militia known as the Alliance. Led by Mason (Keith Sutliff), a former police officer, the Alliance hopes to overthrow SR 20 and its leader Orleans and bring back order and justice.
The war will not be easily fought. Each mission is dangerous, and only the Alliance will stand up for the underdog. But for Mason, the key to success is found somewhere in his past, and he must separate from his crew and find answers at his family home.
“…nuclear war has ravaged the planet. Suitcase City is the hub of all Northern America’s vital resources…”
Having only seen the pilot, Suitcase City may have a tough road ahead, carrying us from episode to episode. However, what the pilot does well is create a post-nuclear holocaust world with clever use of spectacular drone footage, a dark mood and tone, and a classic DeLorean. Sutliff establishes himself well as a conflicted leader with a good heart to help the less fortunate with a small glimmer of hope that justice will prevail.
The problem is that most of the drama takes place in conversation and moody looks from lead actor Sutliff and whose story is told noir-style in a brooding voice-over. Episodic pilots exist to set the stage of a bigger story and leave us with a compelling cliffhanger to draw audiences in and force them to watch to find out what happens next. While the pilot does a good job showing that life in Suitcase City is dangerous without much hope, it really needed some action with SR 20 to show how dire the situation is. What’s missing in this pilot is the convincer that this story is worth following. Curiosity makes me interested in checking out the next episode, though expectations are high that it will deliver enough to buy into the series.
Suitcase City will be available to all digital platforms on April 1, 2022.
"…Each mission is dangerous, and only the Alliance will stand up for the underdog."
