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ReviewWhat to stream this weekend: Apple TV+’s The Crowded Room, with Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried, sees mystery unfold in 1970s New York

Tom Holland stars as a man accused of a murderous crime in The Crowded Room; Amanda Seyfried is the investigator who must solve the mystery behind his arrest

Meanwhile, things get spooky in K-drama Revenant on Disney+, which dips into the fragile nature of the mind and the ill intent of manipulative ghosts

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Tom Holland in a still from “The Crowded Room”, which sees a crime mystery unfold in 1970s New York. Photo: Apple TV

Published: 7:45am, 11 Aug 2023

“Who do we think we are?” sang John Legend. This is a question that might be asked by Danny Sullivan and friends in The Crowded Room (Apple TV+), an investigation into the traumatising power of the mind.

Tom Holland plays the adult Danny, a maladjusted New Yorker arrested after a shooting. During questioning by investigator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), Danny emerges as much more than the straightforward assailant with murder on his mind than he first appeared to be.

We are back in the seedy, sleazy but undeniably atmospheric New York of 1979, with subway trains almost invisible behind the graffiti and X-rated films playing in squalid Times Square cinemas.

At the same time, Frank Sinatra and Abba (making their city debut) are coming soon to Radio City Music Hall.

Amanda Seyfried in a still from “The Crowded Room”. Photo: Apple TV

It is a time of crime; and as a result, policing tends to be on the unsympathetic side when guns are waved about. Danny, who may not be entirely responsible for his actions, has 10 episodes in which to save himself from a long stretch inside that he has no chance of surviving.