1883

A love letter to the American western. Taylor Sheridan does with cowboys and untamed nature something similar to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman: he gives it a third dimension – the human dimension – making him flesh and blood, vulnerable, mortal. Sheridan works in a similar way with the heroes here. It's not just about gunslingers in cool clothes and classic shootouts in saloons, or in the streets in front of them, as we know from most gunslinger flicks, save a few honourable exceptions. 1883 goes much deeper, and is much more visceral, and sensitive, than it first appears. Fans of Yellowstone will love this one, but all the attributes and directorial touches suggest that this miniseries will appeal to everyone in general. A uniquely blended collage of fragility, poetics (voice-overs), and uncompromising wilderness survival with a yet-to-be-formed society. (21/11/2023)

"Where she dies is where we stay." A riveting standalone prequel to the Sheridan-Verse. Two decades after the end of the Civil War, a rough journey of a few pilgrims in search of the dream of a new home or beginning. A journey through a captivating inhospitable landscape where dog eats dog, where uncrossable predatory rivers or lack of resources are the lesser of the constant challenges and obstacles. An uncompromising western of a journey through the wilderness. So excellent that it is all the more disappointing that almost every episode has superfluous filler. Watchable, solid, but useless and not deepening or serving anything. If it was condensed into seven or eight episodes, there would be no reservations. Anyway, everything that we like (or dislike) about Sheridan is here by the handful. (26/04/2023)