If any two or three of Deadwood's best episodes were strung together and released as a feature film without any prior knowledge that it was cable produced, that piece of work would most assuredly garner numerous Academy award nominations-no doubt about it.
I find Deadwood indeed, mesmerizing and astounding. I am part of it's DVD viewing audience and I must say that season one's first episode was somewhat distracting because of the almost laughable use of profanity.Yeah, I was wondering "Do they get paid by how many times F**k is uttered?" The ensuing episodes mapped out the incredibly mesmerizing(there's that word again) dynamics of the series and I sat up and took keen interest.Why they had to swear so much was of no interest to me at that point. Deadwood borrows from some great westerns "McCabe and Mrs. Miller " immediately came to mind, for it's rough-hewed frontier community look and feel and the wheeling dealing power plays. Oddly enough, a John Wayne movie "True Grit", for it's wonderful colloquialisms and fanciful turns of phrases.The script of that film is a treasure of old West language. The cast of Deadwood is sublime. Ian McShane's nefarious whorehouse saloon owner Al Swear(?)engen, is a human maelstrom, involving every facet of the human condition-Good, Bad or Indifferent. Shakespearian to be sure. McShane is fantastic.Timothy Olyphant is a revelation in his role as Sheriff Bullock the Knight errant with a hair trigger violent streak. His tension filled(sexual and otherwise) interplay with equally outstanding Molly Parker as rich widow Alma Garret, is my primary reason for viewing.It's called Chemistry and it's awesome. Kudos to Brad Dourif as the easily flustered by his own sense of incompetence, but earnest town Doc. William Sanderson entertains as the slimy , pathetic hotel owner,E.B.Farnum-forever wanting to be invited to the "Game" with the "Big Boys" ,but is reduced to a laughably sorry "cheerleader" as Al tells him to "Get the f*%k outa here". Powers Boothe -Slick, Murky, blackness in human form as gambling house owner, Cy Tolliver.Paula Malcomson plays Al's personal whore and main tentacle to the outside world as Trixie. Jim Beaver as "Ellsworth" , probably integrity personified as the Mrs. Garret's mine manager. Robin Weigert's "Calamity Jane"-a lost soul who commiserates with Dayton Callie's express man-"Charlie Utter", both were very close to Keith Carridine's wonderfully realized doomed Wild Bill Hickock.John Hawkes and Jeffry Jones shine as Sol Starr, Jewish shop owner and Jones as the town's truth seeking Newspaper man. Deadwood :sex,murders,plagues,greed,cursing, irony, intrigue,.and much much more. 10/10.
I find Deadwood indeed, mesmerizing and astounding. I am part of it's DVD viewing audience and I must say that season one's first episode was somewhat distracting because of the almost laughable use of profanity.Yeah, I was wondering "Do they get paid by how many times F**k is uttered?" The ensuing episodes mapped out the incredibly mesmerizing(there's that word again) dynamics of the series and I sat up and took keen interest.Why they had to swear so much was of no interest to me at that point. Deadwood borrows from some great westerns "McCabe and Mrs. Miller " immediately came to mind, for it's rough-hewed frontier community look and feel and the wheeling dealing power plays. Oddly enough, a John Wayne movie "True Grit", for it's wonderful colloquialisms and fanciful turns of phrases.The script of that film is a treasure of old West language. The cast of Deadwood is sublime. Ian McShane's nefarious whorehouse saloon owner Al Swear(?)engen, is a human maelstrom, involving every facet of the human condition-Good, Bad or Indifferent. Shakespearian to be sure. McShane is fantastic.Timothy Olyphant is a revelation in his role as Sheriff Bullock the Knight errant with a hair trigger violent streak. His tension filled(sexual and otherwise) interplay with equally outstanding Molly Parker as rich widow Alma Garret, is my primary reason for viewing.It's called Chemistry and it's awesome. Kudos to Brad Dourif as the easily flustered by his own sense of incompetence, but earnest town Doc. William Sanderson entertains as the slimy , pathetic hotel owner,E.B.Farnum-forever wanting to be invited to the "Game" with the "Big Boys" ,but is reduced to a laughably sorry "cheerleader" as Al tells him to "Get the f*%k outa here". Powers Boothe -Slick, Murky, blackness in human form as gambling house owner, Cy Tolliver.Paula Malcomson plays Al's personal whore and main tentacle to the outside world as Trixie. Jim Beaver as "Ellsworth" , probably integrity personified as the Mrs. Garret's mine manager. Robin Weigert's "Calamity Jane"-a lost soul who commiserates with Dayton Callie's express man-"Charlie Utter", both were very close to Keith Carridine's wonderfully realized doomed Wild Bill Hickock.John Hawkes and Jeffry Jones shine as Sol Starr, Jewish shop owner and Jones as the town's truth seeking Newspaper man. Deadwood :sex,murders,plagues,greed,cursing, irony, intrigue,.and much much more. 10/10.