8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in the 1860s it centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad.
Starring: Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Common, Christopher Heyerdahl, Tom NoonanWestern | 100% |
Period | 19% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
According to the not always reliable internet, the First Transcontinental Railroad took around six years to build, a timespan encompassing 1863 to
1869. Anyone who has ever traveled by train knows it’s not exactly a speedy proposition (at least lacking a bullet train), but it’s notable that
Hell
on Wheels, a series built around this epochal construction project, only took a little less than five years to get its story told. The
endgame of this long simmering series has some surprisingly effective emotional dividends, even if a number of strands in an overstuffed plot
don’t
really get a ton of development as things wend their way to their own “Golden Spike”. As I’ve mentioned in reviews of
previous
seasons, having grown up in Utah as I did, a state where the eastern and western elements of this grand scheme met at Promontory Point,
meant
that the tale
of the railroad was a regular item in history class, especially during elementary school. That said, Hell on Wheels, while hewing at least
relatively close to some of the facts of the case, hasn’t worried too much about presenting “actual” history, instead using the historical record as
a
foundation upon which to set various characters careening through their own private traumas. That proclivity certainly continues in the final few
episodes of this volume of the final season (as with several other recent series, the final season was split into two parts), but at least with regard
to
Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), there’s a commendable emotional reality to his character development that may be whimsical in a
certain
way, but which “feels” right.
For those wanting to catch up on the story thus far, our reviews of the series’ previous seasons can be accessed by clicking on the following
links:
Hell on Wheels: The Complete
First
Season Blu-ray review
Hell on Wheels: The
Complete
Second Season Blu-ray review
Hell on Wheels: The Complete
Third Season Blu-ray review
Hell on Wheels: The
Complete
Fourth Season Blu-ray review
Hell on Wheels: Season 5, Volume 1
Blu-
ray review
Hell on Wheels: Season 5, Volume 2 The Final Episodes is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Perhaps a little surprisingly, these final episodes tamp down what had been a surprisingly vivid palette in the first half of the season. Some of this is due to the flashback sequences, which are often graded toward an intentionally desaturated look. Some of the segments, notably some documenting The Swede's travails, have noticeable flicker, but I'm assuming that was added in post to give the footage a kind of "distressed" look. When not graded and when lighting is sufficient, detail levels are typically excellent, especially in close-ups where some of the finery of the costumes' fabrics is easily discerned. As with previous seasons, the show pops best when it gets outside, even when the weather is on the gray, gloomy side. Interior scenes can have slightly diminished detail levels at times.
Hell on Wheels: Season 5, Volume 2 The Final Episodes continues the series fine use of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks, once again offering good immersion in big crowd scenes as well as the usual use of source cues. Dialogue and effects are all rendered cleanly, and often with surprising force, on this problem free track.
- 8. Two Soldiers (1080p; 4:58)
- 9. Return to the Garden (1080p; 5:07)
- 10. 61 Degrees (1080p; 3:07)
- 11. Gambit (1080p; 3:40)
- 12. Any Sum Within Reason (1080p; 3:09)
- 13. Railroad Men (1080p; 4:39)
- 14. Done (1080p; 4:35)
As I've documented in reviews of the previous volumes of this series, I've had a lifelong love affair with train travel and also grew up in Utah where the saga of the Transcontinental Railroad is (or at least was) a regular part of school history lessons, and so Hell on Wheels has always had a special place in my viewing heart, even when I've been momentarily distressed by the series' tendency to go off on odd tangents. That proclivity continues here, albeit perhaps understandably in an obvious attempt to tie up as many loose plot strands as possible. These final episodes hopscotch around both temporally and content wise perhaps a bit too much, but the central narrative of Cullen's quest for redemption gives the series' final moments real emotion. Technical merits are generally strong, and Hell on Wheels: Season 5, Volume 2 The Final Episodes comes Recommended.
2011-2012
2012
2013
with Character Cards
2013
2014
2015
2014
1939
Per un Pugno di Dollari
1964
1966
2015
1971
1950
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
1966
1972
1930
1965
2014
C'era una volta il West / Paramount Presents #44
1968
1962
1956
1969
2001
1976
2010
50th Anniversary
1961