Godless

Western is not dead. Never was, never will be. Godless will probably be remembered as "an incredibly beautiful-looking western with a memorable final shootout". Which would be a shame, because from the opening prologue scene to the final shot the movie embodies the absolute essence of everything that makes an old school western an old school western, namely a pure genre well-being over which every fan must inevitably drool more than a baby whose teeth are not grown yet. This movie will be close to your heart. It´s based on ambivalent characters knowing that without a respectable villain it´s impossible to make a fateful western (in this movie it´s purely McCarthy´s type). The movie likes to be lyrically intoxicated by scenery and music and is not afraid to slow down as well as get tougher using dramatic story line. It does not forget about personal vendettas, it is able to lighten the course of events as well as to let the characters sink into despair, mud and dust and still let them rise from the ashes. It´s raw and uncompromising and at the same time it manages to keep the mouth shut as well as on the contrary it knows exactly when it is better to reach for Winchester rifle and unleash hell in a God-forgotten settlement... Simply an orthodox dirty genre movie that´s built on well-proven foundations, clichés and time-tested archetypes. The only snag is the finale, where not all characters will be given adequate space with regard to how much emphasis and time has been given to them previously. And so some side lines (or rather characters, especially Logan, Truckee, grandma and the Indian with a dog) are cut off suddenly or kind of fade away. Newestern audiences of Godless will not be converted to the true faith, but because of the well-built foundations, die-hard fans can watch this exceptional movie which we haven´t seen in decades. Correct, I mean a movie. It is true, that officially it is a closed miniseries, but this is a regular movie (both by composition and setting) with the only exception that it lasts eight hours. (26/11/2017)

Along with The Punisher, the clear series event of the year and the hit of the century for the western genre. This really has everything the genre should have from a likeable protagonist, a great bad guy with his 30 member band of thugs, great music, beautiful locations, cracking gunfights, amazing acting, great direction and writing, I imagine if TV shows got Oscars, Godless would pick up statues for every category. The final thrilling and nerve-wracking 30-minute shootout, where 40 widows defend a saloon with Winchester and Colts against the bad guy and his henchmen, may well be one of the best I've ever seen. An amazing piece of work, a gem, a tribute to a dead genre with clear cult-classic potential. 100% (14/12/2017)

Because Godless premiered on Netflix at a time when I was also engrossed in the magnificent Downton Abbey, where I am completely in awe of Michelle Dockery, I didn't stand a chance against the addition of another favorite genre. Perhaps precisely because Alice Fletcher is the complete opposite of Lady Mary, she seems to me to be the main protagonist of the entire film-like experience. The atmospheric dose is more than abundant and, just like an archetypal story with all the necessary ingredients, Scott Frank's authorial miracle is also a tribute to almost everything that a viewer can remember from a western. I most often thought of Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Quick and the Dead, or High Noon, all well-known pieces. That is why it is clear that those who do not particularly enjoy prairie settings, spurs, and gunslingers, could perhaps suffer through this expedition. On the other hand, those who have been waiting for years for a proper new western to appear in cinemas should immediately head for the television. Those relationships carved in stone, those dialogues about important matters, those progressive plots? Combined with well-drawn heroes and a villain who is impossible to hate? An unforgettable treat. (07/12/2017)

The series had an interesting format: six episodes + a feature-length film at the end. The individual episodes were a little longer than I'm used to, the pace was literally lazy in places, and there was hardly any action, but I still had a good time from the first episode to the action-packed finale. I have to praise the cast, all the characters seemed perfectly natural, I thought the sheriff Bill McNue was especially good and of course Alice Fletcher, because I just love Michelle Dockery. I was intrigued by a strange custom in the little town of La Belle: if you want a man, shoot one. Unconventional, but obviously functional. (10/02/2018)

Westerns are still alive, which the Godless series lets us know beautifully. Even today, it is possible to tell good and strong stories in this genre, which are also very gritty in places and pull no punches. The film is also very well cast and each actor does a great job, and the great production design perfectly evokes the Wild West era. (22/12/2017)

Le western n’est pas l’un de mes genres préférés, mais de temps en temps, un petit bijou se présente et me convainc que ce n’est pas un si mauvais genre. Après la bande-annonce, j’ai eu l’impression qu’il s’agirait d’un western purement féministe, mais ce n’est pas le cas. L’ensemble est parfaitement équilibré et tous les personnages importants, et ils sont assez nombreux, ont leur espace. Ce western ne se divise pas seulement entre le bien et le mal... Les intrigues et les personnages sont complexes, et c’est pourquoi vous aimerez même d’une certaine manière le « méchant » principal impitoyable. Et ce que je dois encore souligner, c’est la musique et la cinématographie : un rendu visuel et une scénographie magnifiques, de nombreux ralentis filmés sous des angles peu conventionnels... un régal pour les yeux. Je vous le recommande vivement ! (27/04/2023)