Godless

One of the best westerns in recent years! Among the modern westerns, True Grit is still at the absolute peak (and I don’t think that will change anytime soon), but Godless is certainly a strong contender! I loved the naturalism and grittiness at every turn; as a viewer, I truly felt like we were in the late 19th century. The acting was exceptional, with Jeff Daniels commanding the screen; his portrayal of Frank Griffin exuded immense respect. Michelle Dockery also impressed in a larger role. The musical score was among the best aspects of the project; the opening theme stuck in my head for a long time! For a perfect rating, I would have liked a faster pace in the middle episodes. Nevertheless, it’s a solid piece of filmmaking that should be proud of itself. 8/10 P.S. The final shootout in the last episode had real balls, that’s for sure :D (25.09.2021)

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)

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)

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)

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)