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))

Starts off real slow so requires patience; only 6 episodes but you're in for a long ride and it's a show that needs to be watched in it's entirety so if you're not going to finish it, don't bother starting.

It's a western, feels a lot like 1883 so if you enjoyed that, this is down the same street. I loved that they didn't change the lighting to that dusty shade of yellow just to show it's desert, the green plants actually look green, small detail but a lot of western or movies based in the middle east or Mexico always feel like you're watching it with the night light or reading mode setting on.

You can say Emily blunt and Chaske Spencer were bound to carry the show since they're the only omnipresent characters, but they actually did a great job while at it. They also had this "will they, won't they?" chemistry, wasn't annoying although it is the second time Emily blunt has had such a role after Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, also in the desert but completely different movie, just thought of mentioning it.

This is an elegantly made western, yeah sure it's the land with no law, survival in the wild Wild West with constant conflicts between cowboys, outlaws and Indians; but it's not just mindless bullets and arrows flying. The plot isn't that long really, similar to 1883 you could summarize it as the characters move from one part of America to another with things happening in-between. In this case it's Cornelia(Emily blunt) looking to revenge her son.

It isn't dialogue heavy for the most part, but it puts the little it has to great use. Also makes it feel like every scene serves purpose, there aren't any fillers. However I still think some of the side plot stories felt off, I didn't know were they were heading yet a decent amount of time is spent on them. Several graphic scenes and characters, some even horror-esque, most notably black-eyed mog with her nightmarish stare.

The ending is well thought out, I never saw it coming. There's a big reveal moment in the finale that I thought was a wrap on the show, but it's then followed by another. They made sense, there were subtle inklings throughout that you only realize their significance at the end when stories come together.

I suggest binge watching it; if you can't just pay attention. At first glance it's a series that doesn't seem to require it but it does need attention to fully grapple everything. There were several moments in the last episode were I thought 'oh now that scene/that detail makes sense now'. Great miniseries but could've easily been a movie as well.

I'm impressed by how good The English was, it's every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. As a huge fan of Westerns I was excited from the first moment I heard about this and then when I saw the trailers I was even more excited. This mini-series not only met my expectations but exceeded them. Emily Blunt was absolutely terrific. She plays Cornelia Locke, an English lady who's looking for revenge for the death of her son. She teams up with Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) who is a just retired calvary scout and also a member of the Pawnee Nation. It's a brutal series about revenge and one of the better westerns I've seen in a while.

This is not a series for those who want a fast moving plot and lots of action. The English is a slow burn, beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, with a story that develops gradually over the six episodes. Chaske Spencer is absolutely spellbinding as Eli Whipp, the Indian scout who accompanies the always excellent Emily Blunt as she traverses the American Midwest on her revenge mission. I expect to see much, much more of him after this. Rafe Spall is also outstanding playing a particularly awful character, while I feel Tom Hughes - who is also very good - is perhaps let down a little by the only part that lacked a proper resolution. This is not a happy series, quite miserable at times and often very nasty, but it still uplifting in its own way. A Western series (ironically, shot in Spain) that, while very different, compares to Unforgiven for its feeling of reality.

Emily Blunt is magnificent and she carries this show, adding sense and grace to a series that has a bit too much nonsense dialogue (shades of Deadwood?) and disgraceful white males who are at times cartoonish in their villainous bigotry and psychopathy. Chaske Spencer also cuts a fine hero as the noble Pawnee who is astride two worlds having served in the US Army and bystander to some of their atrocities.

There were a number of parallels to 'Godless' which I rated a 10 such as the romantic duo that are thrust together on a Western adventure fighting injustice, and the heroine's skill with horses and weaponry. Unfortunately there were a few drawbacks to this one as well, starting with the aforementioned dialogue that got a bit too poetic for my taste, and the seemingly endless supply of Snidely Whiplash types without an ounce of empathy for natives that just seemed a bit over the top in the effort to drive home the race relations point.

Beyond that there were some truly awful uses of green screen that seemed terribly out of place when so much of it was shot with beautiful on-location vistas (shot in Spain, but you'd never know it wasn't the American West). There were a lot of characters that came and went that got to be confusing at times, and one in particular that seemed crucial to the story that died off-screen with a very random explanation that made it seem like they left his real ending on the cutting room floor.

The plot twist reveal in the final episode was certainly a surprise yet earned through some clues along the way, but also felt like it really changed the type of story being told and required a bunch of audience exposition that seemed out of place that late in the game.

Even with all that it was a compelling show that I enjoyed watching for the most part so I gave it a 7. It seems most reviewers thought more highly of it than I did which I respect. They can make another Western with Emily Blunt anytime and I will surely watch it.