The man with the funniest name in Hollywood is also the coolest guy in town, as long as he can wear a hat: It looks as if Timothy Oliphant had this show written for him, as the unavoidable succession of his “Deadwood” part, with witty dialogues, vicious villains and never ending incestuous relations of the amorous and criminal kind. Harlan County (Kentucky? I think so) is where they all grew up together, and it is where they are thrown together again when Raylan Givens is sent to the provinces after being a bit too quick with making true on a threat against a local crime boss. But he drew first, so it was justified… We learn quickly that he draws quickly, and mostly accurately, and we also learn that the Marshall Service still exists and gets involved in any kind of crime if it’s convenient to the story (a bit like CSI, where those lab boys and girls seem to be running some investigations on their own, including SWAT team services). What makes Justified a great, a really great show is the characters: Givens at the heart of it all is surrounded by splendid support characters: no villain has ever been so essential to a show’s success than Boyd Crowder, hardly a love interest has turned the tables so profoundly like the pretty widow Crowder. The Crowder family patriarch in season one is only topped by the Bennett family matriarch in season 2, ruthlessly ruling her family empire and her valley for the greater good. She says.
As Season 4 just started, I realise that this is the one show that I really look forward to staying around for a while, I like these rednecks from Harlan County,the Dicky Bennets and Boyd Crowders, and of course and in particular I like my Raylan Givens! So cute, too…
thomas4cinema 