Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Deadwood: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 11, 2019

Deadwood: The Complete Series was a major success for HBO, both in terms of the largely rapturous critical response the series received, but also in terms of audience approval. When the series perhaps unexpectedly came to an end after only three seasons, there was a fair amount of outcry that all sorts of loose ends hadn’t been tidied up as much as some might have hoped. It may have taken well over a decade, but those dangling plot threads are at least touched upon, if not always completely woven together into an organic whole, in Deadwood: The Movie, a “sequel” of sorts that actually takes the passage of time between the end of the series and this story into account, giving the tale a somewhat elegiac tone at times.

As might be expected, writer David Milch takes a novelistic approach toward this ostensible wrap up, and that both pays dividends as well as raises certain hurdles that some may find insurmountable. There’s an almost freewheeling way to how Milch veers from character to character here, and my hunch is some may feel that their “favorite” (whomever that might be) is being given short shrift.

The underlying plot conceit here is that South Dakota is entering official statehood circa 1889, and there’s a “family reunion” of sorts going in Deadwood as a result, though as with many a “family” get together, there is a ton of dysfunction and a lot of drama. Among the more central conflicts is a long simmering dispute between George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) and Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), which in this case spills out to involve both Trixie (Paula Malcolmson) and Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie). While the tendency toward showdowns includes these and other characters, a lot of the central emphasis in terms of what might be termed a "character arc" are given over to Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant).

This supposed last visit to Deadwood has the series' impeccable attention to detail, as well as its appealing blend of fictional and real life characters, but I personally found it overstuffed at times, and too reliant upon virtually every character having significant "baggage" that needed to be dealt with. Still, for fans of the series, this is a wonderful chance to see some of the most memorable characters in relatively recent television history spring to life once again, though it should probably not come as a huge surprise that not all of them are still living by the time the story comes to a close.

Deadwood: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Deadwood: The Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. The IMDb lists Arri Alexa Minis as having digitally captured the imagery, and I'm assuming things were finished at a 2K DI. This is an often beautifully detailed looking transfer, this despite the fact that there is prevalence of low light shots as well as other shots that utilize backlighting, something that can often create effulgent quasi-halos around foreground objects. The palette often tends to favor browns and beiges, though there are occasional very bright pops of color, as in Hearst's red vest. Some low light, nighttime material can look just a tad noisy at times, and fine detail levels can occasionally falter as well in these moments. A few passing uses of CGI aren't especially believable, but fine detail on practical props and Deadwood itself is often excellent.

Deadwood: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

From the thundering roar of a locomotive that starts out Deadwood: The Movie, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track offered here is boisterous, consistently immersive and often very forceful. Sequences that take place in crowded environments like the bar provide regular engagement of the side and rear channels for background "spill" of conversation and ambient environmental effects. Outdoor sequences often bristle with really nice discrete channelization of individual sound effects. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout on this enjoyable track.

Deadwood: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Unspoken Subject: David Milch and Deadwood (1080p; 13:59) has some appealing behind the scenes footage and okay interviews and candid scenes, including with writer and creator David Milch.

Deadwood: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There were reports around the time of the original series' demise that not all of the drama in Deadwood was taking place on screen (so to speak). Whatever may have led to the end of the show after three seasons has evidently had enough time for the dust to settle, though some of the on screen dust certainly gets kicked up again in this largely satisfying "conclusion" to the story. There are some wonderful performances on display here, and if Milch's writing is occasionally a little precious, that's a small price to pay for the bulk of this offering. Technical merits are solid, and even without much in the way of supplements, Deadwood: The Movie comes Recommended.