Our take
There is no shortage of craft and ambition in The English, a miniseries that employs tropes of classic Westerns, like the soulful anti-hero and the loyal sidekick, but also twists them enough to make them feel fresh. For instance, instead of typical cowboys, we have as our leads Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), an aristocratic Englishwoman, and Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a native who also served in the US army. Both of them are terribly out of place in the Wild West, but they’re fueled with the kind of vengeful drive that leads to bloody outcomes, which are themselves staples of the genre.
The English is sweeping, both in scope and scenery, and solemn. Fans will appreciate how seriously the show treats the genre, and they’ll take pleasure in its familiarity, from the twisty mysteries and brutal disputes to the gritty backdrops and arid vistas. In this instance, the show’s ambition perfectly fits the genre.
What it won
SAG Awards
1 nom
The story
An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke, arrives into the new and wild landscape of the American West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.
Elsewhere
"What it may lack in efficiency, it more than makes up for in spirit. Blunt and Spencer create genuine characters out of their archetypes."
— Ben Travers
"A genre exercise with fantastic performances and film-caliber technical elements. Western fans definitely won’t want to miss it."
— Brian Tallerico
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
