Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. The picture is judged on two questions, does the picture accomplish what it set out to do, and does it do it well?
Justified City Primeval, is a crime thriller television limited series from FX and streaming on Hulu. It stars Timothy Olyphant, Boyd Holbrook, Victor Williams, and Vivian Olyphant. Created by Dave Andron and Michael Dinner the series is based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit.”
It follows Raylan Givens Eight years after he’s left Kentucky, Givens is now is based in Miami, balancing life as a marshal and part-time father of a 14-year-old girl. A chance encounter on a Florida highway sends him to Detroit and he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent sociopath who’s already slipped through the fingers of Detroit’s finest once and wants to do so again
UNDER THE LENS: RAYLAN GIVENS AND MISSING ELEMENTS
Raylan Givens: The main strength of Justified City Primeval, is of course the return of Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens everyone’s favorite US Marshell. Olyphant returns to the role as if no time has passed, he fits the hat and slim jeans well and every scene with him is perfection. Justified City Primeval‘s Raylan is tired and a bit older and grayer than the last time we saw him leaving Harlan County forever.
He is the father to a 14-year-old who is just as sassy as he is, and he wants to spend time with her and not get into as much trouble as he use to. When two criminals attempt to carjack him, he pulls a shotgun out and shoots their car tire, before taking them into custody. The old Raylan would have blown them away, but this time he is more careful and dare we say a little wiser.
Missing Elements: As good as Timothy Olyphant is in the role, the show feels like it’s missing part of its soul. It’s labeled as “Justified” but it feels so different as to be almost a stranger to the brand. Gone is the folky urban mix of music and gone is the colorful cast of characters who populated the original series. The first episode is fairly mediocre aside from Keith David as a corrupt judge, but by the second episode, things start to improve as we see the backstories of the cast of characters and where they come from, and the relationships they have with each other.
Justified City Primeval is sorely missing Boyd Crowder, Ava Crowder, and other colorful heroes and villains. I think what the showrunners forgot was how Raylan was made to stand so tall by his supporting cast. As the picture, Crossfire Trail said “A man is measured by the enemies he makes” Raylan was boosted by the villainy of Boyd Crowder and the lack of Walter Goggins is very much felt. We have yet to see if The Oklahoma Wildman will stand up next to some of Justified’s best villains, however, he has been lots of fun in these first two episodes.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Boyd Holbrook as The Oklahoma Wildman is fantastic, he chews the scenery
- Vivian Olyphant is good as Raylan’s daughter, she is a mini Raylan, sassy and irreverent
- Detriot is grim and feels very much like a Justified location
QUOTABLE QUOTE
- Clement: Only two kinds of guys out on the streets chasing bad guys at your age. Ones that got passed over for the big chair. And the ones that just love it so much, they’re going to have to be dragged off. Only question is will they be breathing when it happens.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Have you ever been told to give up on a friend or family member? How did that make you feel? Did you continue to help them?
CONCLUSION
Justified City Primeval is a good crime thriller whose premise promises to build on these first two episodes and deliver a hopefully satisfying story. However, as of now, it is not a great Justified story…yet. The absence of Walter Goggins, Boyd Crowder is sorely felt, and none of the supporting cast jumps out the way Justified‘s cast did in that show’s pilot episode. That being said the premier of Justified City Primeval is held together by the massive presence of Timothy Olyphant, and even if the show never grows past these first two episodes, it will have been good to catch up with Raylan Givens and his family. Rebooting Justified in a new location with a new cast was a bold decision, and its one I hope works out.
