Before “Game of Thrones” became a cultural phenomenon and the biggest hit HBO ever produced, the cable channel had several critical hits under it’s belt including one of my favorite shows, “Deadwood”. The show was gritty and unusual with a huge talented ensemble cast. The dialogue was interesting because while characters cursed like sailors, they would do so with a poetic flair that made every line of dialogue feel both dirty and beautiful at the same time. Sadly, “Deadwood” was cancelled after it’s third season with no resolution to some of it’s key storylines.
The film takes place ten years after the finale of “Deadwood” and we most of the characters have remained in the town of Deadwood, chiefly U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen. The town has settled down for the most part since we last left it and South Dakota is in the process of entering statehood. The town’s peaceful existence is put at risk when George Hearst, now a United States Senator, returns to Deadwood and seeks to purchase Charlie Utter’s land (and get payback on Trixie for shooting him a decade ago).
I had long given up hope for a film follow up to the series years ago. There were talks of a film concluding the series for years now but after a few years, talks of a movie died down (along with talks of a movie following the events of “Rome”). The show ended more than a decade ago and most of the cast went on to other successful shows and films.
The movie was a worthy successor to the show and it was nice revisiting the characters. The only problem I had with the film was that the end felt a bit rushed in my opinion. Maybe I just wish their was more “Deadwood” on the horizon. I feel like they left the ending a bit open ended deliberately in case David Milch ever decided to revisit the series again at some point (which I would be down for). At the end, it supplied a more satisfying ending than the series did and it was nice to get a sense of closure.
It is a bit refreshing to see a western these days, especially one so well written and performed. The thing I love about David Milch is that his scripts are almost Shakespearean. The characters are far more articulate than characters in other shows. I enjoyed having some of the events from the series briefly shown via flashback because I hadn’t had a chance to revisit the series before I watched this (plus I wanted to test the movie and see how accessible it would be to first time viewers).
I adored seeing Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane return as Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen and the pair were amazing. Gearld McRaney also proved to be the perfect antagonist as George Hearst. McRaney is a very underrated performer. It was also amazing seeing Paula Malcomson, John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, and Anna Gunn all reprising their roles.
Director Daniel Minahan managed to capture the tone and spirit of the series in a way I didn’t think possible. He also managed to get some of the best performances I have seen from actors I have seen this year.
“Deadwood: The Movie” is a satisfying finale to the epic HBO series. New viewers may feel a little lost but should enjoy the film for it’s overall quality. As a fan of the series, I was happy to see this.
Grade: B+
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