Survival In The Wild Wild West—Review Of The English (2022)

Cornelia sees a man who had been beaten black and blue hanging by a rope close to the hotel. It is Eli Whipp (played by Chaske Spencer), a Pawnee scout who served the US Army and is heading home to claim a few acres of land as promised by the government.

In her bid to beg for his release, Cornelia is assaulted and abducted by greedy and violent criminals. Eli Whipp somehow escapes and comes back to free Cornelia. As these two people are thrown together by circumstances, will they survive against a broken system that unjustly rewards thieves and criminals while pursuing their goals?

Review

Not being a fan of Western film, I'll say this miniseries is elegantly made and depicts some of the things the Old West stands for. It's a land with no law, constant conflicts between the outlaws, cowboys and Indians are their lifestyle. The plot of this miniseries is great—an English lady goes after the man who 'killed' her son—and intriguing. It doesn't appear to at first because the pace is slow.

There are too many subplots choked into the first and second episodes, making it difficult to follow the story. Whenever Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer appeared on my screen, I sighed with relief because their parts in the film I understood. The others take a while before I catch up. You are forced to wonder who the character is and what they're talking about. The subplots are difficult to follow as the supporting cast was given measurable screen time.

By the fifth and last episodes, everything came together perfectly and it all made sense. The reason why Cornelia comes to Oklahoma to avenge her son becomes clearer. You would think she had an adult son who was murdered but it's not so. Subtle clues are placed throughout the film. The significance becomes clear as the film wraps up. So you'll have to exercise some patience when seeing this miniseries.

The acting, visuals and cinematography are fantastic such that Western fans will love it. The scenery effectively portrays Western imagery, depicting the settings of the 1890s.

Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer are great together and I applaud their performance. Their on-screen chemistry sizzled right from the first episode when Chaske comes back to get his things while saving her. They kept their audience captivated, leaving us to ponder when they would finally acknowledge the brewing attraction between them. When they did, it was utterly heart-wrenching! Saying anymore would be a spoiler so you'll have to see this miniseries to know why the heart-wrenching part.

Note there are some graphic and gore scenes. Some characters with scary faces, for example, Black-eyed Mog, may very well give some viewers nightmares! But what's a Western film without some gore, eh?

Overall, The English is a great Western film and could become a classic if not for the slow pace and disjointed subplots. I enjoyed watching it and Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer impressed me immensely. I'll give it 3 stars out of 5.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}