Notorious criminal Frank Griffin and his gang of outlaws are on a mission of revenge against Roy Goode, a son-like protégé who betrayed the brotherhood. While on the run, Roy seeks refuge with hardened widow Alice Fletcher, an outcast herself, in a worn-down, isolated mining town of La Belle, governed mainly by women. The town bands together to defend against the murderous gang in a lawless western frontier.
Every moment counts, making for an overall experience as to-the-point as Mary Agnes herself. Even when it appears to be taking some extra time for itself, "Godless" isn't wasting a second.
Every frame is breathtaking in its own way, whether it's of dust carried on the wind (a classic, tumbleweed-style indication that the characters are remote and exposed) or sun pouring through the slats of an old, dilapidated barn.
If he (Scott Frank) doesn't achieve the visual or narrative poetry of the filmmakers he's riffing on -- the John Fords, Howard Hawkses and Robert Altmans -- he still gives you plenty to look at, and it's never boring.
It gets way more right than wrong as an outstanding cast, memorable characters, engaging arcs, beautiful shots of the majestic frontier, and one hell of a finale (oh yes, it's pretty savage) bring us a uniquely bewitching and exciting story.
Buoyed by strong performances and its knowing embrace of an under-utilized genre, this seven-part event slows in the middle but yields the kind of home stretch for which it's worth giving thanks.
There's great acting to be found, and some thoughtful writing-and if you like sweeping panoramas of the sun setting across an untamed wild, then you're in excellent, if heavy, hands.
