Westerns have been making a comeback in recent years.  Remakes of Classics like True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, and 3:10 to Yuma have helped with that. Television/ Streaming series have been the thing that has given them a life of their own. The English, Lawmen: Bass Reeves and Yellowstone, along with its spinoffs, have rejuvenated this genre. Once thriving genre. A new show from Netflix, American Primeval is the latest to give fans of this great genre some excitement. 

Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin) and her son Devin (Preston Mota) are going west to find their husband/father. When their guide is killed they are in need of another one. They are taken by Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham) to a man named Issac (Taylor Kitsch) who lives on the outskirts of town. He refuses to help them. They end up going with a group of Mormons and others headed in their direction instead. Along the journey, they experience a lot of death and turmoil from Mormons, Native Americans, and lawless men looking to better their standing in the land. Eventually, Issac changes his mind and decides to follow the posse and helps them get to where they’re going.

Betty Gilpin has come into prominence in recent years for her work in Mrs. Davis on Peacock and Glow on Netflix. Those were two fantastic shows but with this gritty, dark, and bloody western, she is put through her paces. She has to do a lot of action sequences, gun firing, and horseback riding among other things that come with a western such as this. She holds her own opposite more than a few very good character actors in the show. Mainly her work with Kitsch, Mota, the boy who plays her son in the series, and Shawnee Pourier who plays Two Moons, a squaw who joins them on their journey. She is an anchor of the show, along with Kitsch, and does a good job in all aspects of this production. 

Taylor Kitsch has had an up-and-down career, but when he’s on, he’s on. He has given terrific turns in John Carter of Mars, and Lone Survivor and now he gives another fantastic performance in American Primeval.  He is perfectly cast as this loner who gets dragged into this woman’s journey.  Along the way, he finds some purpose. His survival skills and fighting keep him and the woman and child he’s traveling with alive. He goes through a lot though. Kitsch has never been better in his career.

Peter Berg has worked with Kitsch before on Lone Survivor so I’m sure they have a shorthand with each other as director and actor. They do a great job bringing Michael L Smith’s story to life. They don’t spare any sympathy with anything they bring to the screen. There are many blood-soaked moments and gory scenes of broken legs, severed scalps, and gunshot wounds. This is one of the most realistic Westerns I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of Westerns in my day.  I was in shock and awe at times with the violence and death I was watching play out. That’s a testament to the direction by Berg.

Besides the two main cast members I already mentioned, this series is littered with terrific character actors giving quality performances. Shea Whigham, as the unary fort manager, Chi Courtney,  a man looking to cash in on a Bounty, Dane Dehaan, as a man looking for a better life for himself and his bride, and Derek Kinkey,  as Red Feather a Shoshone warrior who wants to keep his people safe from the Whites who are taking over their land, and Laura Lightfoot-Leon, as the wife of Dehaan’s character. She finds a whole new lifestyle along the course of her journey. This is just a handful of the superb performances in the show though. I could go on and on, but I won’t. Everybody in the cast supports each other. This is a fantastic ensemble from top to bottom. 

American Primeval is one of the most realistic Westerns I’ve ever seen. The blood and guts were flowing. There were plenty of deaths to go around. Berg brought this time in American history to like it in a visceral violent way. The cast top to bottom from Gilpin and Kitsch and everyone else give very good performances. The landscapes were visually realized by the cinematography. The world looked so good on screen. I was stunned by how realistic everything looked and felt. It’s really in the year, but this is a contender for Best Mini-Series at the Emmys later this year. It’s that good. I want to see more Westerns done in this style going forward.  It’s a great show!

American Primeval is now available to stream on Netflix

5 stars

Dan Skip Allen