Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

Directed by Daniel Minahan. Starring Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Gerald McRaney, Paula Malcolmson, John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Robin Weigert, Kim Dickens, William Sanderson, Dayton Callie, Brad Dourif, Sean Bridgers, W. Earl Brown, Jade Pettyjohn, Leon Rippy, Franklin Ajaye, Jeffrey Jones. [TV-MA]

Epilogue of sorts to the acclaimed HBO series about 19th-century residents of Deadwood picks up about a decade after the show’s abrupt end (cancellation). Narrative centers on the return of corrupt George Hearst (McRaney), now a senator, to attend the commemoration of the Dakota statehood, but just like the series that preceded it, the film takes the time to weave myriad characters and sub-plots (while tying up a few loose ends along the way). Ten years have passed (though, judging by the occasionally exorbitant makeup, several of the characters look like they’ve aged twenty) but not a whole lot has changed; Farnum is still mayor, Bullock is still the law of the land, Al is still, well, Al, etc. Since nearly every still-living cast member is back, the movie labors at times to trot them all out (a few get little more than token cameos) but the escalating pace and focus on the Hearst vs. town throughline makes for riveting entertainment. The expanded scope and richer production values is about the only thing announcing this as a proper “movie” instead of an extended coda episode (note the increase in wide and medium shots over the series’ frequent closeups), but it’s a worthy cap to one of the better dramatic television programs of the 00s, featuring an exceptional cast delivering all those scintillating (and profane) passages of dialogue. Al’s final declaration before the credits roll must rank as one of best closing lines for a movie in years.

81/100