Godless

Quite a good movie which hits all of the buttons for a classic western.! The violence was a little high and very realistic, which is my only real problem with it. Interesting to note that the reviewers who didn't like it had a problem with the inter-racial relationship as well as the lesbian relationship. I thought that these brought a note of realism to it, as these relationships have been going on forever, but social mores kept them from being portrayed in the past. The cinematography was excellent and I found myself just looking at the scenery in some spots instead of following the plot. The casting of little known, but excellent actors, topped off the film, and Michelle Dockery sure is a natural beauty.!

I can't say anything about Godless that hasn't already been said! It's fantastic and judging by the ratings/reviews, most people seem to agree with me! It's easily one of my favorite westerns of all-time! Jack O'Connell and Jeff Daniels lead an absolutely incredible cast who are all at the top of their game here! Everything about this amazing show is great, I really can not recommend this show enough!

SPOILER: Godless has a long list of actors who do a great job working with a wonderful director and a great screenplay presenting a very interesting story. The tale in this movie has been told before. A good example of a very similar story is the 1968 movie "Blue" (see information about Blue on IMDb) where a young gang member decides to leave the criminals he grew up with and start a new life; and then is pursued by his former bunch of hooligans, resulting in significant consequences for some innocent folks.

In Godless, an extreme event occurs in La Belle, New Mexico that leaves the town with a population that is almost all women and children. Fortunately, Marshall Bill McNue (Scoot McNairy ) and Deputy Whitey Winn (Thomas Brodie-Sangster ) are left to keep the peace. Things become complicated when Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell) shows up at the ranch owned by Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery). The plot darkens when the gang Roy abandons decide to chase him to wherever he is, and punish anyone who harbors him.

Michelle Dockery (as Alice Fletcher) is the movie's focus, and the actress dominates every scene in which she appears. Ms. Dockery is an exceptional and interesting actor with a tremendous "screen presence." Merritt Weaver (as Mary Agnes) is another stand out. She delivers a great performance that she refines and develops through the series of episodes until the climax.

A lot happens within the seven episodes, that vary from 40 to 80 minutes per episode (four episodes are 70 minutes, one episode is 50 minutes, one episode is 41 minutes, and the final episode is 80 minutes). I am admitting to watching all seven episodes (totaling 7.5 hours) in a single day, and almost continuously. Godless is that good. This is an entertaining mini-series that holds your attention as you watch an interesting plot develop and finally unfold in a dramatic and exciting climax.

Godless is easily one of my favorite westerns I've seen in a long time. I'm actually blown away by how much I liked it. I had high expectations because of all the great ratings and reviews and it not only met those expectations but surpassed them in every way! The writing and acting is would really makes this show so special. Jack O'Connell and Jeff Daniels both give award worthy performances. It's a western that takes place in New Mexico in the 1880's. It follows Roy Goode (O'Connell) who's an ex protege of a a dangerous gang leader named Frank Griffin (Daniels) as he runs from his mentor and hides out in a town full of women after all the men died in a mining accident. If you haven't seen this series yet then do yourself a favor and go watch it as soon as possible!

This show is hard to watch with its graphic violence and truths of the times in which it took place. I cannot imagine how hard existence was for folks who travelled to and homesteaded the west. I'm sure much of the very things portrayed in these episodes took place and some probably even worse.

The acting was excellent. The scripts were so believable. I was glad to see Jeff Daniels in a lead role though his character was brutal and, well, Godless. Who knows if any of us would be the same if we were faced with situations such as the ones portrayed in these episodes. Don't judge a man (or woman) until you've walked in their shoes.