The English

Leave aside for a moment, the superb writing, casting, acting and direction. Other reviews deal with that. Take note that everything about this series, from the artwork of the opening credits, to the unique use of sound, to the tight closeups in the action scenes, is an homage to one of the greatest directors of all time, yet unfortunately a director almost lost to history. Because other auteurs love to copy him, but never credit him. Even Eastwood, who was rescued from obscurity (after Rawhide concluded) by Leone, never publicly acknowledged Leone's contributions to the medium. Leone is mentioned several times in my IMDb list of all time greatest films of the last century. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

The English is a pretty good western that's absolutely worth watching. It does start a little slow but by the end of episode 2 it picks up. Each episode just gets better and better. You really come to care for these characters by how well written and acted they are. I'd be shocked if Emily Blunt wasn't nominated for some awards for her job in this. She's that good in this. As is the vastly underrated Chaske Spencer, who's good in just about everything I've ever seen him in. It's a beautifully shot series that captures the reality of the old West. It's a mini series that's only six episodes long so it won't take long to binge it and it's worth every second?

Although it's becoming more common to show the darker side of the American frontier, I don't know if there's a genre that people are habitually more romantic about than westerns. I don't think anyone will come away from The English pining to have lived in the late 19th century. People are robbed and murdered so casually, people get sick from preventable diseases and are horribly disfigured, the law is bought and paid for etc. But The English presents it in all it's glory and there's a frankness to it that I appreciated. These characters live a world where day-to-day choices could mean the difference between life and death and it grounds the show in some pretty serious stakes. The English doesn't pull punches or paint a more rosy coloured picture of the setting and trouble lies around the corner for Cornelia and Eli in every waking moment.

Despite the shows bleak tone, I want to echo a lot of other reviewers here in saying that the cinematography, the costuming, the set dressing are all fantastic. The beauty of this harsh terrain is captured in every single frame and it's easy to be swept up in the awe of it. The open grasslands are brimming with potential if you forget about all the territorial massacres and unforgiving terrain, you can see why people still made the journey there.

The English centres around Cornelia and Eli who find themselves travelling companions after some very coincidental yet trying circumstances. Both protagonists are compelling and very well drawn. Cornelia's resiliency is inspiring, she is forced to change so drastically over the course of the series but she rises to the occasion time after time. She arrives as an unassuming aristocrat but she's barely recognizable by the time the series concludes. She's had to face so much but she is forthright and her bond with Eli is so strong that they can overcome almost anything together. Eli is just as interesting, he's a former native soldier who can't escape the preconceived biases around his race. He's been around the bend in every sense of the word and he's trying to make peace with his past when his chance encounter with Cornelia opens the door to a possible future that he might never had considered. Their partnership grows out of a mutual respect and a shared grief as they have both experienced terrible loss and hardship. It's one of the best displays of a fledgling relationship I've seen in any genre and it's another area in which The English stands out.

The show primarily revolves around Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, you'd be surprised how many of the bigger names in the cast vanish and reappear after long stretches. Blunt is pitch perfect as Cornelia, she portrays Cornelia with all her mixed emotions. She really has to run the emotional gauntlet with this character. But she does so with aplomb, it's a performance with many layers and I think she deserves some awards consideration along with her costar. Their shared rapport is amazing, they are great together and apart and I couldn't help but root for both of their characters because of their work. Chaske is absolutely her equal, he's perfect as the strong but reserved Eli. Chaske exudes toughness and as strange as it sounds, you can believe in Eli's traumatic past through Chaske's delivery of a few but very meaningful words. I liked his character best and he never stops being magnetic even when he's having to give Emily's character some tough talk to help her realize what she has to do. The other performance I want to highlight is Rafe Spall as the villainous David Melmont. I vastly preferred Rafe's work in The English to stuff like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, he does a marvellous job as the depraved yet calculating killer. His character would have fit perfectly in something like Red Dead Redemption right down to the hat and the moustache. This performance completely reversed my opinion of him as an actor and I look forward to seeing him in other things.

I'm not someone who seeks out a western, people tend to be almost fanatical about them and other than a few one offs (Tombstone was great), it's just an occasional viewing for me. The English is awesome in almost every category across the board and I was blown away by it. The pace can be a little methodical but it can't run at a mile a minute and it was never too slow for too long. I want to wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone that's interested and even to people who aren't. I expect it to garner some consideration and it would be well deserved. Check The English out if you have the chance.

I have to admit, I wasn't going to buy into Emily Blunt as a lead in a western. But it turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable show you didn't know you had to watch. The cinematography is beautiful, as is the theme music. It feels like it's been a while since a western was made of this quality (I'm thinking, maybe Unforgiven?). Like great westerns in the past, the story need not be overly complicated. And it's got sweeping panoramas of the West, capturing the freedom, cruelty and brutality that was the Wild West.

Blunt and Spencer dazzles. What may have sounded like a contrived story to place some Brits in late 19th century American West, ends up weaving a deep, moving tale of a woman who risks it all to seek vengeance upon a man who wronged her, whom she blames for the death of her son. In the beginning scenes, you may think it makes little sense, but there is much more to her journey and objective. Blunt does a superb job as the story develops and reveals its secrets.

Spencer, whom I've never seen on screen before, really impresses. Although he portrays a Pawnee who was raised by a white man and served in the Union army, his seemingly indifferent attitude to the plight of the people of other tribes is but a façade that eventually gives way to the long suppressed pain, anger and pride of native Americans. Spencer does an amazing job of giving his character good depth, when more often than not, native American actors tend to play to one-dimensional stereotypes.

Perhaps a small nit is that the climax feels a little rushed; some may find it a tiny bit anti-climatic. An extra episode or two might have tidied up a few things here and there.

Very sad it's a mini-series and ends after a short but satisfying six episodes, but it's better to think of it as a very long movie!

The first thing that occurred to me when I finished the six episodes of The English was to watch them again.

This show is an absolute tour de force and works on every level. A fabulous script (Hugo Blick) with deft ducking and weaving and some clever conceals and reveals, a great sound-track and music (Federico Jusid), phenomenal cinematography (Arnau Valls Colomer), and some extraordinarily sensitive and carefully paced acting from a great cast of actors, with Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer taking the lead. The supporting cast also offers real depth and some delightful performances. Every word spoken and minor action adds to the dramatic tension and exposition - and the camera catches a lot of subtlety along the way. It all adds up to truly top shelf direction and production (Blick and Blick & Blunt respectively).

Having said all of that, the story will be difficult for some people to stomach. It has found a poetics (which is heart wrenching) in its difficult subject matter and much of the violence occurs off-screen, but it is still covering matters that are uncomfortable and confronting to think about and witness.. On the other hand The English offers a realistic and pragmatic encounter with these harsh realities - realities that the native American Indian population are still struggling with to this day - a tragedy when one considers their deep wisdom and connection with the land. The stories also make it clear that for settlers in the new land the reality was also harsh and brutal - but it's much harder to find sympathy there.

The English leaves one in no doubt that America was founded and built upon blood and violence and life threatening struggle - and that 'the land of the free' is a sentiment that some citizens are probably yet to experience.

On the other hand, The English is not sentimental. Its main characters endure their 'lot' with a resigned pragmatism and with little resentment - saving their revenge for those who truly deserve it, and otherwise only handing out justice when left with little other choice.

I can't quite believe this is a TV show as opposed to a movie such is its depth and quality.

2022 has been a treat full of some really good television shows and The English deserves to be right up there amongst those judged as the very best of the crop.

It's a very solid 9.5 stars, and I can see why some reviewers have given 10.

Exceptional TV!