Customer Reviews

Deadwood: The Complete Seasons 1-3

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, "Deadwood" has the most constantly profane and racist language, and graphic sex and violence I have ever seen on mainstream film. So, those who are offended by material of this nature should not watch. But if you can get past that, "Deadwood" is brilliant.

Let me begin by giving an example of the writing. In the following scene, Al Swearengen, Deadwood's ruthless leader, deplores the fact that the self righteous Sheriff, Bullock, is too involved in his adulterous affair with Alma (who controls a rich gold mine) to focus on the political struggles the community is facing in its attempt to be annexed into the United States. Swearengen watches Bullock leave the hotel after being with Alma. One of Swearengen's men remarks that Bullock means no disrespect. Swearengen replies:

"Horror is, you are f**kin' right. He don't know if he's breathin' or takin' it through f**kin' gills. He is that f**king c**t-struck. They're afloat. In some fairy f**kin' bubble, lighter than air, him, her snatch, and his stupid f**kin' badge...Self-deceiving c**k-sucker I am, I thought, when America took us in, Bullock would prove a f**kin' resource. Look at him, stridin' out like some randy, maniac Bishop."

"Deadwood" is a true western because it is the story of the creation of a community on the frontier. The town of Deadwood was born when gold was discovered in the Black Hills, lands ceded to the Sioux by treaty. All kinds of non-Native Americans, Europeans, and Chinese invaded the area. This action was illegal under the laws of the United States and, of course, considered grounds for war by the Sioux. So, the people who founded Deadwood, of every class, were all true outlaws. And Deadwood had no law but custom and the knife and gun. In three seasons, "Deadwood" tells the story of how the town was founded and ultimately annexed to Dakota Territory.

Many of the characters portrayed are based on historical personages. Formost among them is Al Swearengen the "Bloody King of Deadwood," who operated the town's first saloon and bordello. Swearengen is played by Ian McShane. It is the role of McShane's career and he is astounding. As the episodes progress, Swearengen's charachter evolves to amazing complexity, far beyond the simple villain he at first appears. We come to root with guilty pleasure for Swearengen, the murderer and whoremonger, and to admire his cunning as he allies with Bullock and others who attempt to hold their own against even worse and more powerful and morally corrupt forces; Cy Tolliver, the despicable overlord of a competing gambling house, Wolcott, mining engineer, serial killer of prostitutes and agent of the ruthless, implacable mining magnate, George Hearst, and against corrupt and idiotic politicians from Yankton who would deprive Deadwood's founders of political rights of self determination.

The thing I enjoyed most about "Deadwood" is the fact that it is brilliantly and blatantly Shakespearian. Scenes of high drama are artfully alternated with comic vignettes. A number of characters actually engage in soliloquies with strange yet understandable sentence structure. It is surprising and pleasing to see how well such scenes work in a western. For example, Swearengen keeps the head of a dead Indian in a box. When he is beset by fools, his lackeys, Swearengen, like Hamlet to Yoric, confides his feelings, questions and stratagems to "The Chief." In one such scene, Swearengen complains to The Chief about one of his men. Swearengen says:

"Dead, and without a body, you still outstrip him for intelligence."

There are a few pure and good souls represented in this savage work. Calamity Jane, played by Robin Weigert is a true Shakespearian "wise fool." In one of my favorite scenes (it made me laugh and cry) Calamity visits the grave of the murdered Wild Bill Hickock, who she adored. It is her custom each night to tell Wild Bill the news of Deadwood. On this night, she is joined by Charlie Udder, Wild Bill's other closest friend. She allows Charlie to tell Wild Bill the news. But he breaks down. He asks Calamity:

"Can I...can I tell `im some more tomorra?"
Calamity replies with kindness:
"Sure. What the f**k you askin' me for? I don't make the rules."

The scene is at once melancholy, hilarious, and profound. And there are many such scenes in this brilliant masterpiece.

"Deadwood" is an innovation, in the American western, so profound that it will be studied by many over time. Whether it will ever be matched is an open question.

As someone who works in Deadwood, SD and lives in Lead, SD (3 miles from Deadwood) and is a lifelong South Dakotan this is a very well acted, very well scripted, long overdue series that tells the beginning story of Deadwood. A word though, this series is about 50% real events and 50% fiction and certain events that took place over long periods of time are dramatized and shortened. But, hey, it's not meant to be a documentary. And the historical aspects of this series were extremely well researched with the help of Deadwood's Historical Adams House And Museum's Mary Kopco among other Deadwood local historians. I highly recommend this to anyone. And, yes, the language and some of the events may be highly offensive but Deadwood wasn't for the weak at heart in those days and that is how they spoke and what they did. The reason I didn't give this set Five stars is due to the price tag and the ending. And there will be no movie to wrap up the series, unfortunately.

So, I must confess. I am a "Deadwood" junkie. I have purchased the complete series and look forward each evening to spending time with these bigger then life characters based on the gritty mining camp of Deadwood(Don't call or come over between 10 and 11 PM, I will not answer the phone or door!).I even love sitting through the opening title sequence each and every time.

Legendary characters Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane mix in with the fictional characters who are some pretty gritty and most often lecherous people, who speak like they were brought up on the King's English, but may also set a new record for the most swear words in any program. There is also quite a bit of sex, nudity and violence. And although all of that only add to the "ambiance" of the setting, it is certainly not one for the kiddies or anyone who cringes at 4 letter(and longer) words.

Here is a little about the opening of the series, from there I was completely hooked.
Episode 1: "Deadwood"
"No law at all in Deadwood...is that true?"
This of course, is the episode that will introduce you and hook you on all the fun and the characters that grow throughout the series and grow on you.It will be hard to chose a favorite. They are all shall we say "charismatic" in their own special way...
Ex Montana Marshall, has rolled into town with business partner Sol Star. They open a hardware business for the miners of the camp. It isn't long before Bullock meets up with the legendary Wild Bill Hickok, and also is at odds with the owner of the "Gem" saloon, the formidable Al "pardon my French" Swearengen. Swearengen seems to be the Godfather of the the camp. He has his finger in every pie, and nobody seems to make a move without his approval. Al may at first rub you the wrong way with his crude style, but I have to say, that he has become my absolute favorite of the series. This episode has commentary with writer/creator David Milch as an option.

The muddy midway of Deadwood comes alive in this very real series. The cast of the series is marvelous. Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Jim Beaver, Brad Dourif, William Sanderson, Powers Boothe, and Keith Carradine(Wild Bill), will all draw you in immediately.The music is so good I bought the Season 1 soundtrack Deadwood: Music From HBO Original Series(see my review for details of the CD) that mixes short quotes from the series(also explicit) with some western style music and some great blues. Each episode runs about 50 minutes.

My 5 stars rating is for the entire series, each and every episode. By the way the clarity of the picture is excellent and the sounds of the Old West will come alive in your living room.

I bought each season individually as soon as they came out, but if you haven't got around to buying them yet, or if you know someone who would kill or die for this series for Christmas, check around for best deals. The deal is a good one at this time(I paid much more buying them separately,but now prices have dropped). Prices do change though so check each season separately as well when you are ready to order(take shipping, if any into consideration). You can also find the complete series rereleased for pre-order(at this time) here:Deadwood: The Complete Series.You can even sometimes find them sold by disc with a couple of episodes on each:Dead Wood: The First Season, Volume One - but this can get quite expensive. If you pruchase from an outside seller, keep in mind that you may have to pay shipping on each individual season, but buying the set, you only pay a single shipping charge once. DVDs have set shipping price no matter how many DVDs are in the order.

Check out this great series..be careful though, it's addicting!
Saddle Up for one heck of a ride and..."A Hell of a Place to Make Your Fortune"......Laurie
also recommended for western lovers:
Great American Western V.10, The
Goin South

I have yet to watch the second and third seasons of Deadwood, but thank God I was able to watch the first. This is an extremely well-written show about the real Wild West. There's a chock full of heavy profanity, sex, obscenities, and very little gunplay. This isn't John Wayne's universe, and this CERTAINLY ISN'T Will Smith's universe, either. David Milch has done a fantastic job with this series.

What I like most about "Deadwood" are the countless characters that make the show. It's very hard to pick a favorite, really. Ian Mcshane and Timothy Olyphany give superb performances as Al Searengen and Seth Bullock (Swearengen being the cold-blooded owner of a saloon, and Bullock being the owner of a hardware store). William Sanderson is brilliant as E.B. Farnum, a hotel owner with a social problem. Brad Dourif's performance is oscar-worthy as Doc Cochran, a man who has seen it all in the Civil War. Cy Tolliver (played by Powers Boothe) is one character that you'll love to hate. Alma Garrett (Molly Parker) is a bit annoying in the first few episodes, but she develops and you'll grow to admire her because of her complexities. A more complex female character is Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert), whose alcoholism and vulgarity makes a stark contrast for her caring for little children and for those who are sick. Other characters are attention-grabbing: Trixie, Sol Star, Charlie Utter, Eddie Sawyer, Ellesworth, Jewel, Mr. Wu, Reverend Smith, Richardson, Tom Nuttall, A.W. Merrick, Dan Doherty, Joanie Stubbs, Con Stapleton, Jimmy Irons, Leon, Jack McCall, etc. And special props go to Keith Carradine for his portrayal of "Wild Bill" Hickok, the legendary lawman who has come not only for prospecting for gold, but for playing Poker (which leads to bad luck in his own case).

So now, all I need is enough money to purchase the next two seasons of "Deadwood". And it's a shame that this show got cancelled, but the reason behind it was understandable: not enough money from the ratings.

A++

Deadwood is definitly one of my favourites. but i wouldnt watch this show if dont like swearing, violence or nudity. because it contains a lot of it. i think thats what makes it great though. the packaging is pretty good as well. australias packaging for deadwood is terrible. i recommend this show for anyone who loves stories based in the old days and who likes learning and watching how business was made back then.

All of the Deadwood series is must watch. The combination of the last desparate gasps of the 'wild' west with it's coarseness and sense of potential with the victorianesque sensibilities of the newbies coming from the east is fascinating and funny. These are characters whose flaws you can connect with and motivations, even the bad ones, that are completely human and reachable. Add that there are a mix of real people, composites of real people and people there should have been and it's a deep look into the probable reality of the time.
The featurettes add a lot to the background knowledge and increase the depth.
The one part I don't care for much (and therefore don't watch) is the voice overs by the actors. It really doesn't seem to add much.
But I would definitely recommend this series and hope they start producing it again or make a follow on movie.

The only downside to this series is the lame ending of season 3. I don't think we're ever going to get the movie(s) promised to really wrap up the series. The acting and casting in this is the best I've ever seen. To change Ian McShane from charming and adorable "Lovejoy" into the scheming hardass Al Swearingen (could there BE a better name for this guy?) is a testament to his ability as an actor. The entire cast is simply phenomenal, and this show depicts the Old West a lot more realistically than Gunsmoke ever did... An excellent, excellent series, and one that is sorely missed.

Any fan of Gene Autry, Lone Ranger, John Wayne, Tom Mix, Jimmy Stewart, Hopalong Cassidy and the like will probably want to steer clear of this one; unless they want to see what they've been missing. There are no perfectly swept thoroughfares, perfectly pressed, colorful, and unstained riding clothes, no singing cowboys, and endless shots from a six-shooter. This is what the west really was; gritty, dangerous, and dirty (dust or mud; depending on the weather).
One of the greatest series I have ever seen. I cannot say enough about it, but due to limited space, let me just say that it ranks up there with Rome and Band of Brothers for setting, story quality, and acting. I'd say of the three, this series was my favorite for characters and setting. See it!

Rare in this day and time do you find ANY series than can hold your undivided attention for one season, much less three. The Sopranos,though
great, had almost as many lowlights as highlights, but Deadwood has near perfection in every single chapter. A superb cast of mostly unknown or quality bit players, with two or three notable exceptions, make this exciting period of American frontier history burst to life in vivid, colorful (to say the least) action and language. Times were hard, tough, and your friends were good friends and your enemies were deadly.
Some parts are better than others, depending on personal taste and interest, but in my personal opinion, there is not one single episode that hasn't got a touch of superior acting, great humor, or gut-wrenching action attached to it, most have an abundance of all three.
For some of these actors, this series may be the crowning achievement of their professional lives. There are far worse fates !!!
Though not inexpensive, I personally feel its money well spent !!!

Added 5/1/2011:

Now have it in Blu-Ray....still great, only clearer and cleaner picture and 100% better sound !!!

Rented seasons 1 & 2 a while back. To be able to watch both again, including the third season, with the background info at our own pace made us appreciate every aspect of this brillant HBO series even more.
I highly recommend getting all three seasons - you'll understand all the characters better and won't be able to stop watching Deadwood until you complete the series! Please, HBO, finsih this story !!!