Infierno sobre ruedas

Just one word...Beautiful! I'm from the Netherlands and thanks to IMDb I started watching. And was hooked from the start. It reminds me of the comics Comanche, Durango and Blueberry of Flemish authors Greg and Hermann. The classic western tale not sparing us the harsh reality of racism, bloodshed for personal gain and 'immorality'. Even the cinematography is comicbooklike. Especially Cullen reminds of the character Red Dust in the comicbook Comanche. Very interesting characters all in all. My favourite (they're all my favourite, but i love this one) is the The Sweed. What a smooth yet chilling personalty!! They (casting) couldn't have done a better job with him.

LOVE THIS SHOW and every week I wait with anticipation for the next episode. Thanks AMC. For those who are curious, just check it out, you won't be disappointed.

This show has it all- two hard-as-nails, but flawed protagonists, sleazy politicians, a slick railroad tycoon staying one step ahead of the legalities, grit, sex, humor, and of course, the Fair Haired Maiden of the West. The characters are deep and intense, although occasionally caricatured to the point of cartoonish. Their is something of a realism to their good-bad pendulum: the good guys are mostly good, but show some real bad, too. The bad guys are cursed with feelings and emotions that are sometimes fragile. They elicit something close to sympathy.

If you like action, this show has more than most. Shooting, killing, hard-working, rough and tumble action that keeps you riveted and keeps the show fresh. It even has a guy who gets shot point blank in the mouth and lives.

The storyline is itself relatively simple. Good guy out for revenge for the murder of his wife and son. The acting is generally decent, certainly not Shakespearean, but with heart and charm. It's the portrayal of the characters that really keeps the show pumping.

By the way, did I mention sex? Not graphic, but pervasive. Prostitutes here, prostitutes their, prostitutes everywhere. You will definitely hear your share of grunts and howls. Is it possible to show whores groveling with the johns in the mud, but in a tasteful, non-slutty sort-of way? I think they achieved just that.

In all, Hell On Wheels is a slick, witty, well crafted yarn, edgy enough for our modern times, but rooted in enough historical interest for lovers of westerns.

Clearly this series is aiming for a mythical aura, and for me it has achieved that thus far over the first 3 episodes. I doubt I have ever seen such a beautifully shot TV show anywhere, and yet I am not sure how a series on AMC can afford to look this good given how their resources have to be spread over so many episodes. (For brief moments, this looks like DAYS OF HEAVEN.) Yet this is not merely a visual feast, it is one that attempts to delve into a critical juncture in American history, right after the end of the Civil War, a point of no return if there ever was one. The tropes here are familiar: rebels who have never really surrendered (THE SEARCHERS) and railroads leading the encroachment of civilization on a pristine wilderness (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST). All of the contradictions of the USA in a peripatetic microcosm, a moving city with prostitutes and evangelicals practically living on top of each other. (No pun intended.) And then there is the corruption driving the whole project forward. None of this is new, but it always depends on the presentation with the Western. They present it beautifully in this case. I'm hooked.

Hell on Wheels is a gritty and exciting western that takes place right after the Civil War ended. It follows former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) who can't seem to put the way behind him. He wife was killed by Union Soldiers and he sets out on revenge. It also follows the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. This all takes place in a lawless town called Hell on Wheels. I never watched it when it was originally on and thought I'd finally give it a chance after hearing so many great things about it and I'm so glad I did. I binged the entire series in just a few weeks and it was worth every second. It's one of the more underrated shows ever!

An authentic western series without superfluous, romantic subplots. In spite of the many western series and films, there has hardly ever been such a thorough study of the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Comparable to "Deadwood" but not quite as good. Although the series has no outstanding strengths, the western drama does so much right that the first season becomes a gripping and entertaining experience.