Godless

This Netflix western is quirky and different, but enjoyable. A mix of action, drama, guns-for-boys macho western stuff with a dark side, vicious and gory in places.

The basic story is that we're presented with a town full of women because all the husbands were killed in a mining accident. A company comes in to try and buy the mine from the women, whilst Mr Nasty (and his gang of bandits) is hell-bent on punishing anyone who harbours a lad who he'd taken under his wing years ago, but who had fled because Mr Nasty was so nasty!

Jeff Daniels is passively scary, though odd that he seemed invincible, pretty much! Lots of flashbacks which was at times confusing, though helpful that he lost an arm halfway through to timestamp scenes! The actors around him did very well and most were convincing. The cast was drawn from a range of actors with various track records and success elsewhere. Noteworthy leads were Brits Downton Abbey girl Michelle Dockery and '71's Jack O'Connell.

The Eastwood-style showdown outcome siege and cliche of the 'draw' was gloriously predictable! There's some dubious PC stuff going on like lesbianism, type-cast American Indians and African Americans, which the viewer can make up their own minds about. The sets, scenery and photography is lovely and well executed. Some of the visuals were well thought out and use of landscape and focus embellished atmosphere and tension.

Worth a watch. It's a good enough yarn which has been pretty well put together. It's slow at times, but that reflects a lot of the pace of stuff of the era, I guess! Seven episodes in the series of various lengths.