GODLESS. Written and directed by Scott Frank. With Jack O’Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Jeff Daniels, and more. Netflix.
MEGAN FURNISS reviews
We were procrastinating this weekend, and got totally sucked in to this six part mini-series, Godless, a beautiful, riveting and yet traditional Western.
IMDB sums up the plot like this: Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels), an outlaw terrorising the 1880s American West, hunts down Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell), his partner turned enemy. Roy hides out at a ranch as Frank’s chase leads him to La Belle, New Mexico – a town mysteriously made up almost entirely of women.
Told as a nail-biting linear tale broken up with flashbacks that give us insight into the back story, Godless follows the traditional Western genre with outlaws, bandits, the law, shoot outs, mining, horses, Native Americans, and the toughness of life in the Wild West. But, it has a thoroughly alternative thrust as well, with a town being run by women, an entirely acceptable lesbian relationship, a community of independent black farmers, mixed relationships (with heart breaking results) and even some magical realism with a sheriff who has lost his shadow.
Incredibly strong performances, particularly from, but not exclusively, Jack O’Connell, Michelle Dockery and Jeff Daniels, as well as a brilliant cameo by Sam Waterston make this Western utterly enthralling. They are helped by exquisite cinematography, with a brooding and harsh landscape, all the weather, unbelievably talented horses, and a really gripping storyline.
There is also light relief, with really funny moments. My favourite is definitely the unscrupulous newspaper journalist who is guilty of birthing fake news.
The series is written and directed by Scott Frank and it feels like he was allowed to make what he saw. Godless is very full, and a lot happens in the slightly longer than usual episodes.
A bit of trivia; the cast boasts three British performers in the leads; Jack O’Donnell, Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
This complete series (I was so relieved that it didn’t end on one of those frustrating cliff hangers) is brilliant holiday fare, but it is pretty gory, so I would keep the kids away.
What: Godless
Where: Netflix
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