DRUG dealers, eh? You just can't trust them: one minute, you're the top money launderer for a Mexican drug cartel, the next your life is turned upside down when an unexpected $8m debt lands in your lap.
New 10-episode Netflix drama/thriller Ozark finds 'honest' Chicago moneyman Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman, who also directs four episodes) left holding the bag when other parties in his money laundering operation are caught stealing – with deadly consequences.
Given one final chance to prove his worth by ruthless cartel enforcer Del (Esai Morales), Marty is forced to relocate his nice middle class family to the Ozarks in the southern Missouri wilderness, a lakeland vacation resort far from the watchful eye of federal authorities that's ripe for washing the mountain of extra cash he's promised Del.
Marty's wife Wendy (Laura Linney) and teens Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) are less than pleased at being uprooted from their lives, putting further stress on the already dysfunctional family unit.
The first couple of episodes of Ozark make for a gripping and occasionally brutal watch, as Bateman's pathologically pragmatic financial adviser scrambles to survive in his new, terrifying reality.
However, it quickly becomes clear that the Byrdes' new hometown may not be the 'easy money' paradise Marty has sold to his less than forgiving superiors.
Also featuring the excellent Peter Mullan as an Ozarks-based crime boss, this binge-friendly new Netflix show definitely has tons of potential.
:: Available from July 21 on Netflix.com
