Deadwood Movie: (Blu-ray)

You got to hand it to the ever cynical and negative crowd to somehow find fault here. As a reviewer versed in cinema going back to its inception, and as someone that just got done watching the entire series, this send off is not only fitting, it's pertinent and filled with exactly the right drama the series needed for its conclusion. The only negatives I can honestly think of are that it's not longer and that Cy, played by Powers Boothe, is gone due to the actor passing away. Everything else is here exactly as I wanted. Maybe the dialog is ever so slightly turned to a more realistic intonation, but there is still flair, and the script itself is almost perfect. It encapsulates everything that made the series great, and quite honestly for a nearly two hour film it boasts a cinematic experience that seems rightful and proud of its inception while putting a mature edge on things. If you were expecting everything to be literally the same, well you are an idiot. The flashbacks to me here were a concern reading reviews, but quite honestly I felt most of them were done correctly, and without the vast majority playing out a subtle hint of their memories would not be properly placed on screen. The film clearly needed the viewer to rewitness these important events. I thought maybe one of them wasn't needed, but in the end WHO CARES? Without the flashbacks in effect, the movie would lose a certain power as these remembrances invoke some very strong moments for the afflicted cast members. They are brief, and really only exist to strengthen the narrative. Beyond that I have few complaints. The film may have not had the biggest budget, but it does what it needs to do. I especially like Bullock, who seems improved as a Marshal, from his previously, slightly overbearing personality and sometimes weak dialog. I think the realism of his character was improved, and overall I felt the film was better off for it. We don't always need copious swearing or flowery language for a Western. And this film balances it quite well. In all actuality, there isn't much they could have done better here. The film was shot on digital in 2K with a small dose of film grain added. It looks quite beautiful on the BD, and the transfer seems detailed and close to its source. The sound is phenomenal, and it gives the Western tones and gunshots a physical prowess that cannot be denied. CG was only slightly noticeable in the first train coverage, but nothing really distracting. Overall, this is something fans of the series cannot miss. No two ways about it. Ignore any and all of the narcissists on Amazon trying to tell you how it could have and should have been. They are wrong. And this is a lovingly crafted piece of cinema.

My husband was so happy when I gave it to him. He had been wanting this. I also got him the three seasons CD packs I’ve lost my husband because he is binge watching ha! Great price and product.

Deadwood - The Movie well I have to say this was one series that was dealt a massive injustice, stabbed in the back, a great cast brimming with talent and really the series was so out of the ordinary, like Deadwood??? who the hell came up with this idea about a series like this, absolute genius- then they cancel it!!! I'm looking at this movie and I'm going well what would a proper continuation of the series have been like over the years since the shows cancellation,?? just a crying shame - cultural vandalism, so they made a movie. The movie doesn't disappoint--it is an excellent production in its own right ,a real powder keg, dark, murderous,cynical, coarse, gritty - all of that and a whole lot more like the old Deadwood on television, Deadwood right to the bone.Though it's a nagging Question-- why did they give Deadwood the axe? it should never have been cut after only three seasons it was only just getting started. Why was the series ended so abruptly? Although this is a great follow up I still think Deadwood and its audience deserved better, it could have been brought to a more suitable end had it just been allowed to let things to run thru to their natural conclusion,employing the superb script writing,and the actors we sadly in the end did not get to see play out their parts. To the best of my knowledge this has never happened to any other of HBO's made for TV drama series. The Deadwood series had all the indications early on that we were witnessing television history in the making,but instead of keeping to the hard graft turning out season upon season and great episodes we end up with this movie. So this is what we got- no reason though, they couldn't just pick up where they left off and keep making more seasons while all the cast is still around, the viewing public, fans, whatever would appreciate such a move. And Why Not ?A crazy notion now after thirteen years? Probably, but when you look at how much rubbish is on television today --maybe not such a hare- brained idea.

Im one those people who have seen the entire series at least 20x all the way through. I also went to Deadwood, SD to watch the premier with a small group of fans which also included Geri Jewel, Keone Young and W. Earl Brown. So it was emotional for me as it was an unexpected culmination of years of watching & rewatching the series, and also due to being able to watch it with other serious fans as well as three amazing and very generous with their time actors. Im not going to critique the writing of the movie as that has been done. I liked the movie and if you have watched the series you cannot skip the movie. The DVD main menu has no music. No voice-overs...nothing. Just a plain screen. Total gas station movie menu. There is only one special feature. It is a good wrap up feature, and it is the same quality of production as all the features on the seasonal DVDs, yet its brevity is felt. The DVD does include a code to access a digital format copy. It is also hard to watch the little bit of footage they release seeing Milch having such a difficult time. It completely echoed the sentiments all the actors have expressed in person and on the DVD extra. The worst part and the main reason I docked the DVD a star is that Earl told me there is 25-35 min of finished footage that they cut for the theatrical release and it is not present here. It would not take much to add those deleted scenes in, sequentially, into a DVD and now we have to hope that there will be another release with this material present. Every accomplished actor has a project they consider their 'baby'. Deadwood is an unprecedented example of many actors sharing such a project. Any true Deadwood fan will have a hard time not buying this just to have in their collection but it definitely lacks as a release. You should purchase it to show HBO that another Deadwood movie, or mini series, would be a good seller, though it would need other people stepping up to help write and that may be something they are not willing to do. More in depth discussion and additional fan footage can be had on FB fan page Deadwood Fans.

Must have for fans of the HBO series.

I had been waiting for this movie to come out and was not disappointed. A big fan of the TV show, I no longer have HBO; so I ordered the movie. Original characters are back; plots and sub-plots galore, lots of action, and I really appreciate that there are no cliff hangers. This movie wraps up the saga well. Costumes and landscape are both authentic and well done. Each character was played by really accomplished actors who made each one so real. Especially liked the ending; wraps up everything left hanging when the show ended. Loved it all; will watch again and again. Beware that the language is often brutal; however, it's in keeping with true life then and even now. Loved seeing Gerald McRaney (Hearst), Ian McShane (Swearengen), Molly Parker (Alma), Keone Young (Mr. Wu) in their original roles.

An excellent reminder of the excellent series, I wish there were more.

Excellent

alles gut

Great movie!

Awesome quality, its also region A,B & C so no problems playing in AUS

Great movie for ending the series

It is a well-known fact that, for many devotees of the Paramount HBO television production of Deadwood, the story ended abruptly, and unsatisfactorily, at the end of the third of the three TV series. Several strands of the story were unresolved. The writer of the series, David Milch, being determined to correct that situation, wrote the script for a movie version of the story's continuation. So, ten years after the conclusion of the third of the three TV series of Deadwood (2006), the movie of the same name appeared. Most of the actors who were the leading characters in the TV series reappeared in the movie version. The basis for the movie, and the connection with the television series, was the 1889 celebration of South Dakota’s 10th anniversary of statehood. Deadwood is a frontier town in that state. This is the event, therefore, which opens the movie. One of the celebrants is George Hearst, a villain of the TV series, now a US senator, and, along with the likes of Calamity Jane and Alma Garrett Ellsworth, has himself returned for business reasons to Deadwood to purchase land owned by a man whose killing he had ordered - Charlie Utter, the second husband of Alma Ellsworth. The story of Deadwood - The Movie, takes off from this point, and we are gradually reunited with the stories of the town’s diverse range of characters, e.g., the cunning, manipulative, foul-mouthed saloon owner, Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the sincere and upright Sheriff, Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), the wealthy, twice-married, widow, Alma Ellsworth (Molly Parker), Trixie, the long-suffering, but lovable, prostitute (Paula Malcolmson), the town’s over-worked, but devoted doctor, Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif), E.B. Farnum, the loquacious owner of Deadwood’s main hotel (William Sanderson), and the calculating villain, Senator George Hearst (Gerald McRaney). This is not to ignore one of my favourites characters, the irascible Mr. Wu (Keone Young). Few of the original actors are missing, but the years that have elapsed are etched on the faces of the characters. Of considerable interest for this reviewer is the extra feature of this excellent Blu-ray DVD, which focuses on the decision to produce the movie and the underlying philosophy behind the three TV series and the movie. As David Milch explains, Deadwood (the TV series and the movie), as well as offering an interpretation of the relationships between historical, and other, characters, is primarily a reflection on how change occurs over time. This it does to perfection. Starting from its days as a gold rush settlement to its incorporation as a town in a new state, the alterations to the town’s structures, the importance of the local characters, the abiding tensions between residents, the development of local institutions and, of course, the revelation and explanation of personal relationships, Deadwood - The Movie brings to a denouement, and a generally satisfying conclusion, a view of what the TV series had brilliantly developed - change over time. Aficionados of the TV series will not want to miss Deadwood - The Movie. As well as providing a fitting conclusion to the award-winning TV series, the movie presents narrative drama with its own appeal and raison d’etre. The end of the movie may not be the ultimate end of the story - as far as some of the major characters are concerned. Indeed, there are some surprises in character outcomes. However, the end of the movie is a point at which we, the viewers, can happily allow the characters to fade into the Black Hills of Dakota, or walk off into the western sunset. Presented with NTSC Blu-ray picture, clear sound, and good diction from the actors, as well as a relatively easy set of instructions to follow for the different features available, the DVD merits a definite 5* award and is highly recommended.