Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 3, 2023

Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Ava Crowder. And good ol' Boyd. Justified ended its six-season run in 2015 as one of the best shows of the decade, none too shabby considering its first season was merely... fine. Soon it began to dominate the water cooler, though, or whatever passes for a water cooler in offices nowadays and draws aimless chatter during lunch breaks. The series slowly began to ripen and evolve, soon offering an engrossing neo-noir western that was not only based on the late Elmore Leonard's Raylan Givens stories, but really began to feel like a Leonard novel. Sharp characterization, tight plots, betrayals and alliances, violent outbursts and explosive reveals, all with one man doling out justice no matter the cost. Pulpy? You bet. Dark? Indeed. Addicting? Absolutely. That's why the series' surprise 2023 revival, the eight-episode Justified: City Primeval, inspired such anticipation... and consternation. Like the release of Breaking Bad's El Camino in 2019, its arrival begged the question: did Justified need a revival? Would its new story sully the series' ending? Or would it be a natural, necessary continuation of the fan-favorite Kentucky-based Givens-n-Crowder saga? Thankfully, for this fan, City Primeval proves itself a strong addition that makes Raylan's gunslinging return a welcome one.

Having left the hollers of Kentucky more than a decade ago, Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) now lives in Miami, a walking anachronism balancing his life as a U.S. Marshal and part-time father of a 15-year-old girl. His hair is grayer, his hat is dirtier and the road in front of him is suddenly a lot shorter than the road behind. Until, that is, a chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway sends him to Detroit. There he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman (eternal countrified villain Boyd Holbrook), a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again. Mansell's lawyer, formidable Motor City native Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis), has every intention of representing her client, even as she finds herself caught in between cop and criminal, with her own game afoot as well. These three characters set out on a collision course in classic Elmore Leonard fashion to see who makes it out of the City Primeval alive. The sequel series also stars Vondie Curtis-Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Marin Ireland, Vivian Olyphant, Paul Calderón (reprising his role as Raymond Cruz from Out of Sight), Keith David, David Cross, Terry Kinney, Walton Goggins, Natalie Zea, Luis Guzmán, Matt Craven and David Koechner.

City Primeval works so well because it doesn't attempt to necessarily expand the full story of the series but rather Rayland's ongoing tale. The show proper came to a fitting, I'd argue fantastic close, so to reopen all the old wounds and rehash a new chapter in the saga would risk too much and most likely deliver too little. (At least immediately. I'm down for any Goggins return in the future.) Following Rayland into another case, another state, with another cast of characters is by far the way to go, and suggests Justified could continue almost as a Rayland-centric anthology series, much like the Leonard books on which its based. (At is is, the 8- episode run is based on the novel 'City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit' and short story 'Fire in the Hole', though how closely it hews to its sources are faithful readers to determine. I haven't had the pleasure.) And that's where Olyphant -- only sinking more and more comfortably into his career defining role as a 21st century Western sheriff with a heart of steel, eyes of iron and a spirit of justice (think Kurt Russel's Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, with a touch of Sam Elliot from the same film -- and series newcomers Holbrook and Ellis sell everything on screen. Holbrook is getting typecast for sure, but it works wonders here. Ellis is a solid female lead that brings some new perspective to Rayland's story. And the rest of the supporting cast, comprised of new characters and guest appearances by old familiar favorites, is a ton of fun. Humor and deadly seriousness are both on tap, and the brew remains as tasty as ever.

Justified: City Primeval episodes include:

• City Primeval - Fifteen years after Raylan Givens left the hollers of Kentucky, a chance encounter in the Florida swamps sends him to Detroit and places him on a collision course with a violent sociopath and a formidable defense attorney.

• The Oklahoma Wildman - Raylan hunts a dangerous killer intent on remaining free and continuing his particular extracurriculars; Carolyn takes on a former client; Willa makes a new friend.

• Backstabbers - Raylan and the Detroit Police round up some promising suspects, provoking Carolyn's ire; Mansell and Sandy move on the Albanian mark; things with Willa reach a breaking point.

• Kokomo - Raylan tangles with the Albanian mob, because he needed more enemies to deal with; Mansell forms a new alliance, to the benefit of no one but himself; Carolyn lets her guard down.

• You Good? - Carolyn's past becomes Raylan's present, tangling the two inextricably; Mansell puts a plan into action that only increases the threat he poses to anyone who crosses his path.

• Adios - A botched kerfuffle sends Raylan's pursuit of Mansell into chaos. Dickey hires an associate to take on Mansell; Raylan and Downey press prosecutor Diane Rogers to help them catch Mansell and Sweety.

• The Smoking Gun - Raylan and Mansell finally have a showdown. In 1988, Sweety takes custody of an orphan; in 2023 she and Raylan piece things together; Sandy refuses to testify; Mansell threatens Carolyn.

• The Question - The Albanians become a bigger problem; Mansel kills again, proving himself the big dog in the room on all fronts; Raylan sets a trap; an old friend makes an unexpected and successful move.

Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Justified: City Primeval's AV presentation is comparable to previous Blu-ray releases of various seasons of the series proper, the only real difference being the move from a standard 1.78:1 aspect ratio to a wider, arguably more fitting and cinematic 2.20:1 image. All of which is to say the new series continuation looks great. The color palette is warm and striking, with lifelike skintones and nicely balanced and consistent contast leveling. Black levels are deep without impinging on shadow delineation, and the slight noise and banding reviewer Martin Liebman noted in some of his reviews of previous seasons doesn't seem to be present in City Primeval. Detail is excellent, with crisp textures and clean edge definition. And stubbled close-ups of gristly gunslingers Rayland and Mansell look every bit the part of opposing forces in a modern neo-noir western. There's little to complain about here, minus the tiniest instances of crush, and all eight episodes fare wonderfully. Fans of Justified: City Primeval will be most pleased with Sony's encode.

Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track does its job and then some. Dialogue is clear and smartly grounded and centered in the soundscape, while channel pans and rear speaker activity keep both quiet, subdued scenes and explosive bursts of violence engaging and immersive. The soundfield is quite involving, offering plenty of notable examples of convincing street noise, crowd chatter, subtle room acoustics and other amenities. And low-end output is hefty and assertive, lending welcome weight to shootouts, chases and the bassier portions of the series' music. It all completes the package, resulting in an AV presentation that's designed to delight.

Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 2-disc Blu-ray release of Justified: City Primeval doesn't include any special features, which comes as a surprise considering how much there is to talk about -- presumably -- when reviving a celebrated series and moving the story forward. It would have been especially nice to hear from the creative team and showrunners on this one.

Justified: City Primeval - Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For fans of Justified, City Primeval is a no-brainer. For fans who were skeptical a continuation would deliver, breathe easy. This one delivers. And for newcomers... what are you waiting for? Nab Season One and binge until you realize what all the fuss has been about. Sony's Blu-ray release of City Primeval is a simple one to recommend as well, thanks to a strong AV presentation. I do wish it offered some special features; a look behind the scenes with a discussion of the challenges of reviving a finished series. But so it goes. The episodes look and sound great. And that'll be enough for most of you. Add to your collection with confidence.