Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War

When clicking play on a title like this you settle in to learn some history, spoken by a dry cowboy sounding narrator and a series of academics who don't seem like they'd last 5 mins in the west and then finally the occasional cut scene which.... well. Yeah.

From the moment this series starts you can tell things are going to be different. The slick editing, great music and scenes which frankly wouldn't look out of place in "Deadwood", Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War pulls you in and keeps you there.

It feels like watching The Defiant Ones for the first time, knowing that what you are watching is redefining a genre.

Ed Harris's narration is spot on, casual and humorous, keeping the story going in a nearly 'telling you over a beer' kind of a way. Meanwhile the cut scenes are lavish, cinematic and captivating.

The guy who plays Wyatt Earp (Tim Fellingham) is the perfect casting to counter Ed's chilled vibe as he blasts his way through the west with a quick draw and a chilling stare. Surrounded by a great supporting cast they bring this little known and vastly complex story to life in a way that feels new and bang on the times.

I like to think of myself as a student of History, and, I found this take of the Gunfight, to be very Informative. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and, it was interesting to see all the interlocking interests. There were many things, I did not know, and, I've seen many movies, and, other documentaries, that didn't describe all the outside impacts of this gunfight. It's definitely worth a look. Each episode, leaves you wanting to see, what happens next. Bravo, to all involved in the effort to flesh out the story. The series, could easily have been longer, because there were many things, that could have been discussed in a deeper dive.

Well, if you only know Wyatt Earp from the movies, such as Tombstone (which is a great movie, BTW), then this will open your eyes to the complexity of the real Wyatt Earp.

It wasn't all so cut and dried as the movies make it out to be. And events didn't quite go down the way the movies claim. It's actually much more interesting than that!

This docu-drama does a great job of layering in the events, all the way from the local events in Tombstone, to the reverberations they caused politically and economically.

The drama parts are well acted and the story rattles along at a great pace. They manage to end each episode on a cliffhanger, too.

And a special mention for Ed Harris' outstanding narration!

I binge-watched it in one evening and i highly recommend it!

Although there are plenty of documentaries that do the acting along the way as they're explaining the history, the pacing and overall storytelling is just really fun. It's different than other acting documentaries I've seen for that reason. I especially love how the historical context gives more support to the acting. And they really did a great job casting Wyatt Earp. He's borderline perfect. Even if he is Australian ;)

It's different than other acting documentaries I've seen for that reason. I especially love how the historical context gives more support to the acting. And they really did a great job casting Wyatt Earp.

GOOF: Ep3 At 31:33 when Wyatt's lawyer went to answer the door, you can see a digital thermostat with the green glow, on the wall, on the right side of the door.

GOOF: Ep6 when they show horse and carriage up north riding through the city, they horses are on asphalt The storytelling is really good, pulled me in from the start. Has me googling these historic figures and old newspaper clippings. The acting is amazingly good! I don't recognize anyone from the big screen but they are better than most known names.

Narrator comes in at the perfect time with his deep, frontier voice.

I've never been into cowboy stories before but this series might have just have gotten a new fan of the wild, Wild West! Love it!