Deadwood

Just re-watched in 2023 after years. The brilliance of Ian Mcshane and Brad Dourif's performances as Al and the Doc continue to shine incandescently.

This remains in my top three shows of all time and casts heavy shade over the ordinariness of the streaming era dross that we trawl through in the vain hope of finding something of genuine quality.

The secondary characters are so well written and so consistent, and the stories of all are engaging. There is no filler and no worthless, disinteresting meandering. It all moves along seamlessly.

If you don't mind occasional swearing, if you rated Yellowstone, give this a watch to experience real quality.

Perfect is a word that should pretty much never be used. Yet, this series Deadwood is indeed perfect (in my opinion of course).

The long-awaited movie sadly doesn't meet the original series' tenacity or energy, As perfect as the series is, it too sadly fell prey to being cancelled before its time. Anyone who's watched it in full will know what I'm talking about, but anyone yet to watch it, I won't spoil it for you.

I watched Deadwood when it was originally airing back in 2004, when I was 15, and often found it hard to understand everything they were saying lol, due to it's Shakespearean eloquence that for many native English speakers requires English subtitles. I revisited the series in 2014 when friends of a friend starting talking about it, and so that late friend of mine (God rest his soul) and I re-watched it all on his projector screen, and we couldn't stop laughing and cussing and using the term "cocksucka!" in every other sentence of our every day conversations, haha!

I'm re-watching the first episode as I type out this review, and my god is it truly awesome.

If you want to experience the – real – old west first hand, look no further; you'll find it in 'Deadwood'. There has never been a show or a film that came as close to showing what life must have been like in those lawless young towns that got built nearly over night wherever gold was found. A magnet for all kind of fortune seekers (gold diggers, whores, outlaws – but also settlers who were just hoping to build a better life), the town of Deadwood was notorious even by the standards of the time. In the show, this "cesspool of vice" is brought back to life with great attention to historical detail. You'll find no romanticised view of pioneers who lived and died by "the code of honour", but real people whose moral standards are – in most cases – murky at best. And the world they inhabit is a rough, dirty, violent place where only the fiercest – and the most cunning – survive.

As far as the historical characters depicted in the show are concerned, the writers naturally had to take some liberties (after all, nobody knows exactly who said or did what at the time), but the depiction of the era and the historical background are very accurate. Yet this is not a history lesson; it's an immensely entertaining western-show blessed with some of the best writers and actors working in television and film today – and especially the cast of 'Deadwood' really can't get enough praise: there is not a single performance here that isn't excellent. Of course, the one who steals the show is Ian McShane. His Al Swearengen is one of the most morally complex and fun-to-watch characters I've ever seen (and he misses absolutely no opportunity to show you just what the first five letters in "SWEAR-engen" stand for). The power-struggles in Deadwood he is involved in – and since he wants to maintain his position at the top of the food-chain he's involved in all of them – are equalled in complexity and entertainment value only by those in top-notch shows like 'Game of Thrones', 'House of Cards' or 'Breaking Bad'. And the lengths Al is willing to go to achieve his goals secure him a place in the top ten of "all-time great bad-asses".

So my verdict: While certainly not for the easily offended or those who prefer a "sanitized version" of the old west, 'Deadwood' offers a fascinating look at a time we mostly know from myths and legends and gives us a chance to revisit those and see them from a different angle. Great, intelligent and informative entertainment. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Absolutely superb. I don't think I've ever given anything a 10/10 before, but for a TV show, Deadwood is excellent - and given the crap we're generally subjected to on the box, absolutely outstanding. The sets, the research, the directing, the characters, the acting - all shine. And without wanting to sound gushy, the script is close to Shakespearian in its prosaic yet pragmatic tone. The juxtaposition of the grit and dirt and blood of the real 'Wild West' with formal Victorian language is genius. Even the opening credits are beautiful. It may not be everyone's cup of tea (the language and content can be a little 'strong' although entirely appropriate and in context) but anyone who's a fan of quality entertainment, shouldn't go past it.

I felt I needed to write after reading the comment made of the show. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but the individual the wrote the comment "Falls Short" does not know anything. I live in Deadwood and with the exception of stuff added by Hollywood to quicken the story it is quite close to our history. None of the characters are fictional, the all lived at one time. I admit the show in vulgar but cleans up as the show continues and the town grows from a miner's camp to a town. Don't let the first few episodes scare you off. The show is very good and quite close to the truth. If you like old west history you will love Deadwood.