Godless

This is one of the best western series in the recent years. Well scripted and acted. This has everything a good series warrants and feels like a 7+ hour treat. Personally, I liked this a tiny bit better than Deadwood and Hell on Wheels. I hope Netflix keeps producing more of these quality ones. Jack O'Connell shines in the lead role, as does most of the cast. Well done Scott Frank for such an engaging story line and script.

Authentic, clever! All the actors are terrific.. Jeff Daniels amazing performance. Love the link to history. Outfits are well done... would love to see this series continue please.

Music is great. Opening of the credits is artistic. really enjoy how the story unfolds and how the back stories are brought forward.

SPOILER: Godless has a long list of actors who do a great job working with a wonderful director and a great screenplay presenting a very interesting story. The tale in this movie has been told before. A good example of a very similar story is the 1968 movie "Blue" (see information about Blue on IMDb) where a young gang member decides to leave the criminals he grew up with and start a new life; and then is pursued by his former bunch of hooligans, resulting in significant consequences for some innocent folks.

In Godless, an extreme event occurs in La Belle, New Mexico that leaves the town with a population that is almost all women and children. Fortunately, Marshall Bill McNue (Scoot McNairy ) and Deputy Whitey Winn (Thomas Brodie-Sangster ) are left to keep the peace. Things become complicated when Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell) shows up at the ranch owned by Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery). The plot darkens when the gang Roy abandons decide to chase him to wherever he is, and punish anyone who harbors him.

Michelle Dockery (as Alice Fletcher) is the movie's focus, and the actress dominates every scene in which she appears. Ms. Dockery is an exceptional and interesting actor with a tremendous "screen presence." Merritt Weaver (as Mary Agnes) is another stand out. She delivers a great performance that she refines and develops through the series of episodes until the climax.

A lot happens within the seven episodes, that vary from 40 to 80 minutes per episode (four episodes are 70 minutes, one episode is 50 minutes, one episode is 41 minutes, and the final episode is 80 minutes). I am admitting to watching all seven episodes (totaling 7.5 hours) in a single day, and almost continuously. Godless is that good. This is an entertaining mini-series that holds your attention as you watch an interesting plot develop and finally unfold in a dramatic and exciting climax.

This show is hard to watch with its graphic violence and truths of the times in which it took place. I cannot imagine how hard existence was for folks who travelled to and homesteaded the west. I'm sure much of the very things portrayed in these episodes took place and some probably even worse.

The acting was excellent. The scripts were so believable. I was glad to see Jeff Daniels in a lead role though his character was brutal and, well, Godless. Who knows if any of us would be the same if we were faced with situations such as the ones portrayed in these episodes. Don't judge a man (or woman) until you've walked in their shoes.

Starring: Michelle Dockery, Jack O'Connell, Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kim Coates, and Jeff Daniels.

Description: Set in the 1880s, the series follows Frank Griffin and his gang's quest to seek revenge on his former protege, Roy Goode. While he's on the run, Roy seeks refuge in the mining town of La Belle, which is mostly occupied by women. When Griffin and his gang of outlaws get word of Roy's whereabouts, the women of La Belle must find a way to keep their town safe.

It's hard to find a series that is partly a female driven Western and also a commentary on fathers and sons. Apart from the magnificent cinematography, the show's dialogue is almost poetic. Godless is truly a unique find on Netflix, and is totally worth watching.