Blunt proves sharper than ever
Emily Blunt’s wild western is why any weekend jobs might end up being postponed, writes James Croot.
Forget Yellowstone with its modern-day politics and Dallas-esque drama, this is the western series you should be streaming.
Emily Blunt’s first foray into series television since 2005’s over-ripe Roman drama Empire, The English (streaming now on Prime Video) is a sizzling, searing, six-part revenge tale that will grip you from the opening scenes.
The 39-year-old former Mary Poppins and Young Victoria still looks as elegant as ever as Lady Cornelia Locke – our first view of her emerging from her carriage has to go down as the entrance of the year so far – but behind the lace-trimmed coat and high-necklined gowns, it is clear that she has arrived in the newly created territory of Oklahoma in 1890, hell-bent on finding the man who killed her son.
‘‘Why do you have to drive so bloody fast?’’ she chides coach driver Sebold Cusk (Toby Jones). Not helping her regain her equilibrium though is what she spies out of the corner of her eye – a man strung up, apparently for ‘‘the colour of his skin’’, at least that’s his sin, according to her host, hotelier Richard M Watts (Ciaran Hinds). Rushing to the mohawked man’s side, her offers of assistance are waved away.
‘‘It’s not your fight – don’t pick it,’’ he growls.
Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) is a proud man – Pawnee-born, but recently retired from years of loyal service as a cavalry sergeant and scout. All he wanted was a few acres, as was his right to claim under the Homestead Act for his service, but now, as his army buddy had suggested, that’s just ‘‘smoke dreams for the fireside’’.
What he hadn’t counted on is Cornelia’s persistence. Her offer of $10 to cut him down, $10 to clean him up and $10 see him on his way is greedily accepted by Watts – his eyes lighting up even more as Cusk accidentally drops one of her bags, revealing it to be full of banknotes.
But that also means, that as day falls into night, the lecherous Watts now has no qualms about ensuring
Cornelia won’t see the dawn and Whipp and Cusk have to team up to stave off another threat from bandits keen to claim any bounty for the Native American-man’s head.
With its short, sharp bouts of visceral violence, delicious dialogue, gorgeous costume and production design and memorable characters, writerdirector Hugo Blick’s potentially pulpy tale feels like a cross between a Quentin Tarantino flick and a classic John Ford western.
You can almost taste the dust and feel the relentless sun beating down on the mostly scorched earth.
The impressive ensemble includes Stephen Rea and Rafe Spall, but this is very much a two-hander.
Banshee’s Spencer is quite brilliant as the complicated, seemingly conflicted Whipp and Blunt is never sharper – in wit, wiles and willingness to get involved in the rough and tumble.
If you’re a fan of any kind of oater this could be your favourite six hours of 2022.
The English is streaming on Prime Video.