Deadwood (HBO) Review

Another gritty HBO crime drama, this time set in the old west during the post-Civil War years, in the town of Deadwood, one of the last few lawless towns in America not governed by any U.S. state, consequently drawing in people looking to capitalize on this lack of organized law. Based on letters and diaries found in the real Deadwood, the show follows the lives of the town’s residents, from Al Sweargen, the cut throat saloon proprietor played by Ian McShane, to stern faced straight shooting sheriff, Seth Bullock, played by Timothy Olyphant.

Ian Mcshane as Al Swearengen

First of all, if you’re expecting the classic western experience, you won’t find it here, Deadwood is as realistically gritty as the old west gets, there are no heroes in Deadwood. it’s not about cowboys and Indians, it’s about a town sustaining itself outside the clutches of the U.S. federal government and the messy, violent, morally questionable path toward the system of civilization we live in today. The town builds its own bank, its own newspaper, and appoints its own sheriff and mayor. As far as major events, the show touches on the gold rush, the small pox outbreak and racism towards Native Americans, Black and Chinese people at the time.

Robin Weigert as Jane Canary
Deadwood might not be an easy watch to some, it’s as dry as HBO gets and the story arcs don’t seem to lead anywhere in particular giving the feeling that there’s no resolve. It’s very claustrophobic, outside a couple of scenes, one with Seth fighting a Native, and a couple with Jane wondering around the outskirts, we don’t ever really leave the town of Deadwood, most of our time is spent with Al in his saloon, at the hotel ran by E.B. Farnum, a variety of other saloons and bars, or in the sludgy street just outside, there’s no room to breathe.


Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran

Despite my claustrophobia, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, it’s well written, well filmed, and has some outstanding performances across the whole cast. Ian McShane does a fantastic job as Al, who, when you first see him, starts off as a cold hearted terrifying man, but eventually evolves into an almost comical father figure to the town, which was a strange transition. Jane, the foul mouthed drunk struggling to find her place in the world, played by Robin Weigert is a favourite, and Doc Cochran, the lovable doctor who tends to everyone in the town is another very likeable character, Brad Dourif does a great job at showing the frustration and empathy of having to keep everyone healthy in Deadwood. The show is full of interesting characters, there’s also E.B. Farnum, Charlie Utter, Cy Tolliver, Trixie and Dan Dority, to name a few, not to mention the reverend, played by Ray McKinnon.

Keone Young as Mr Wu

Deadwood is masterfully written with dialogue that often borders on poetry, from the scenes with Al trying to work out what non-English speaker Wu is trying to communicate using pictures and the phrases, ‘San Francisco’ ‘Cocksucker’ and ‘Sweargen’, to the fearless Calamity Jane gently tending to a dying man in the woods after losing a friend and father figure. it’s a character driven show and the performances are some of the best on TV. HBO cancelled Deadwood after the third season, so it doesn’t quite get the ending everyone wanted, but it does get a profound one, and despite getting cancelled, it still holds its own against the greats. If you haven’t seen Deadwood yet, you should.

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