Deadwood (season 1)

The story opens in Montana Territory where Sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) hangs a prisoner outside the jail door rather than allow a mob to lynch him.  With that as his final act as sheriff, he resigns and leaves for Deadwood.  The road into Deadwood is crowded with wagons bound for the gold rush.  Among the wagons are Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine), Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert), and Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie).  The town of Deadwood is only a few months old and situated on Indian land, thus placing it outside the jurisdiction of the United States.  To make matters more interesting, news of Custer's Last Stand at the Little Bighorn has just happened.  Many of the proprietors are a law unto themselves, most notably Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the owner of the Gem Theater, which is really a bar and brothel.  Into this maelstrom ride Seith Bullock and his partner, Sol Star (John Hawkes), who open a hardware store.

Many of the characters are historical figures who lived and died in Deadwood while others are composites, and many others are just fictional.  Though many of the events are true, the chronology is not.  For instance, Bullock arrived in Deadwood after Hickok had been killed, but the show has them meeting and becoming friends.  Bullock arrived in early August 1876 (1st episode) and General George Crook arrived in Deadwood in September 1876 (12th episode).  Eventful place!

Ian McShane is too old for the real Swearengen, who was 30 at the time, but he does a great job.  It is no wonder he won a Golden Globe for his performance.  Much as I like Timothy Olyphant, he has a limited emotional range here: simmering anger.  He is too often about to blow a gasket.  So much righteous indignation.  I like the incorruptible good guy more than most but give him a sense of humor.  He's going to have a stroke with how high-strung he is portrayed.  Keith Carradine doesn't last long in the series but makes for an excellent Wild Bill.  Oddly enough, a decade earlier he played Buffalo Bill Cody to Jeff Bridges Wild Bill.

The show does not shy away from profanity and many of the characters are quite proud their colorful speech.  Nudity and violence are also plentiful.  Entertaining and recommended.

The Duelists (1977)

It is 1800 in Strasbourg, France.  Lt. Armand d'Hubert (Keith Carradine) of the 3rd Hussars is dispatched to place Lt. Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel) of the 7th Hussars under arrest for grievously wounding the mayor's nephew in a duel.  Feraud takes offense at d'Hubert's handling of his arrest and challenges him to a duel.  Feraud will not take no for an answer and a duel if fought but it ends inconclusively.  Throughout the Napoleonic Wars, the two meet repeatedly but Feraud is never satisfied with the result.

 

The first feature film by Ridley Scott, it is based on a short story by Joseph Conrad which itself is based on a true event.  The movie includes 6 duels over a 16 year period whereas the historical figures fought 30 duels over 19 years.

 

Harvey Keitel is very good as the unhinged hyper-aggressive duelist.  He exploits the rules of honor to satisfy his desires.  He was entirely willing to repeatedly provoke d'Hubert until his duel challenge was accepted, hardly the actions of an honorable soldier.  Keith Carradine is passable but just didn't seem French.  His creaky voice that is perfect for a Western singer or an American cowboy seems entirely out of place for a French Hussar.

 

It is an excellent movie and, unlike some of Scott's more recent movies, doesn't rely on the characters' abysmal stupidity to advance the plot.  Also noteworthy is that this is the first of his many historical epics but cleaves closest to actual history.  Robin Hood (2010), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and Gladiator (2000) all made substantial revisions of history.