Prime Video's 'The English' Puts a Fresh Spin on the Western Formula 

As big fans of the western genre, we've seen more than our fair share of skilled gunslingers, saloon brawls and Sam Elliott in a Stetson. This is by no means a criticism or complaint, as these comfortably familiar elements, as well as numerous other cowboy tropes, contribute to some of our all-time favorite films and TV series.

But while we absolutely adore big skies, ten-gallon hats and high noon shootouts, we also appreciate the occasional movie or show that defies our expectations to deliver an entirely fresh take on the well-worn western formula. Prime Video and BBC's The English does just that and then some, significantly tweaking the genre template, while also emerging as one of the year's best reasons to binge six straight hours of television.

Starring Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer and a stellar cast of supporting players, the 6-episode series unfolds in the Midwest, where sweeping skies and stretching plains serve as the beautiful backdrop to a brutal revenge story set in 1890. While that brief synopsis could describe dozens of turn-of-the-century tales staged on the American frontier, The English's surface familiarity quickly gives way to a  quirky, violent, twisty epic that has far more in common with a Quentin Tarantino flick than, say, Tombstone or anything from Taylor Sheridan's growing stable of streaming series.

More than just a brilliant revisionist take on the reliable blueprint though, The English features performances, writing, music and cinematography that can stand tall among the year's best efforts regardless of category. If you're craving an Old West yarn that'll scratch the genre itch while also subverting expectations at every turn, The English is well worth saddling up for.

Unlikely Protagonists

If you're expecting a sharpshooting sheriff or badass bounty hunter to take center stage in this epic tale of revenge, you'll want to check your expectations at the door. The English stars Emily Blunt as Cornelia Locke, a British aristocrat who finds herself fighting a seemingly endless assortment of unsavory characters on the American Frontier.

While Locke's fancy attire suggests she's a proper lady from across the pond, her skills with a bow - and, eventually, firearms - prove she's capable of doing much more than sipping tea. That said, she's also not just another "strong female character" carving a bloody path through the west. Blunt's performance is incredibly nuanced, displaying ample strength, confidence and, yes, plenty of badassery, but it's also layered with shades of naivete, vulnerability and raw emotion.

She's paired with Chaske Spencer, who plays Eli Whipp, a proud Pawnee and former US Cavalry scout. His dedication to the Army and loyalty and love for his people creates an obvious conflict, making him a far more complex Native American character than we typically see in the genre. Beyond the depth of that personal friction, Whipp's complicated, evolving relationship with Cornelia should see both actors scoring gold trophies come awards season.

Individually, they're incredibly engaging characters that could capably carry their own shows. But they're even better together, sharing a chemistry and dynamic that digs much deeper than a typical friendly team-up or predictable romance. Whether they're fighting for their lives - or saving each others' -  on the frontier or engaging in quiet, thoughtful conversation while gazing at the stars, the scenes they share are some of the series' most magnetic.

A Stampede of Mysteries

On the surface, both main characters' motivations seem pretty straightforward. Cornelia has come all the way from England to hunt down the man responsible for her son's death, while Eli's setting out to claim and settle the land owed to him following his military service. Their paths collide when the former arrives in Kansas and immediately finds the latter strung up and beaten. A sleazy hotel owner (Ciaran Hinds) is responsible for Whipp's predicament and, as Locke soon discovers, the proprietor's planning an even worse fate for her.

This set-up could evolve into a simple, yet satisfying story that stretches across the series' six episodes. But The English has no interest in simplicity. At first glance, it might appear to be another action-drama set in the dusty west, but the show soon reveals itself as more of a mystery or, rather, multiple mysteries. While Cornelia's and Eli's individual and shared journeys are at the center of the story, their paths - and the viewers' - are littered with puzzle pieces that ultimately make for an unexpected, enthralling overarching narrative.

The questions begin piling up almost immediately, as do the various characters posing and answering them. Slain cattle, mysterious murders, branded corpses, a nasty case of syphilis and a brutal massacre that occurred 15 years prior represent just a handful of the curious happenings thrown into the mix.

On top of all that, The English introduces a rogues' gallery of potential main antagonists, leaving you guessing who the central baddie is until episode 4.

Dubbed "The Wounded Wolf," that pivotal episode also starts to see many of those aforementioned puzzle pieces satisfyingly fall into place. Of course, as things begin to come together, fresh conundrums also surface. It all makes for an incredibly compelling watch with more twists and turns than the Snake River. Upon completing the final episode, don't be surprised if you immediately revisit earlier chapters to seek out those breadcrumbs and clues that were always hiding in plain sight.

The Bad and the Ugly

The English doesn't shy away from depicting the time period's lawlessness and, even more so, the wicked men and women who took advantage of it. In fact, forewarning for the faint of heart: this very mature series can be brutally graphic and gory - murder, torture, sexual assault, animal cruelty and other barbaric acts are all on the agenda.

The show's brimming with baddies, from greedy opportunists and shady hucksters to thieves, killers and downright evil-doers who slay just for the sport of it. It's not a stretch to say the cast consists of more villains than heroes. Thankfully, the nasty lot also includes some of the story's most captivating characters, albeit ones you'll want to meet a grisly end sooner than later.

The love-to-hate line-up features a seemingly sweet older couple with some dark, bloody secrets hidden in their barn, a Gatling gun-toting ex-soldier with an itchy trigger finger, and a ruthless matriarch whose disturbing lack of eyelids lends her an especially menacing vibe. Well, that and her big wall of trophy scalps. This despicable crew, and a few other creeps that still inhabit our nightmares, are just supporting players, some of which only appear long enough to turn our stomachs.

Despite their limited screen-time though, none are merely mustache-twirling caricatures, but fully fleshed-out foes. Sporting nuance, depth and personality to spare, any one of these scene-stealing miscreants could serve another series' main antagonist.

Slow-burn Storytelling

No one could accuse The English of being fast-paced or rushed. Even when not focusing on wide, majestic shots of prairies or slowly panning across the starlit sky, it takes its time. Every spoken word, facial expression and physical movement carries meaning, and the show's creators clearly want you to savor it all.

Early on, for example, that aforementioned hotel owner lays out his ill intentions for Cornelia before popping a "prairie oyster" into his mouth. The entire exchange between the pair is a masterwork, but it's the 20-plus seconds the character spends chewing and swallowing a bull testicle that'll stick with you long after the credits roll. As revolting as it is riveting, the scene says as much about this horrible person as any peppy dialog ever could.

But it's not only The English's quieter moments that linger, as even its action scenes take a more measured approach. Late in the series, a bad man with a buffalo rifle takes aim at his target, an innocent boy attempting to flee on horseback. It's a nerve-racking set piece that's made all the more tense with each deliberate trigger pull, reload and barely-missed shot. It's a far cry from your typical western shootout or chase sequence, yet its ability to ratchet your heart rate could rival most big-budget action movies' special effects-laden finales.

Tarantino Style  

Many of the elements that separate The English from other westerns recall the style of director Quentin Tarantino - who's dabbled in the genre himself with Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight. From its graphic, stylized violence and uncharacteristic protagonists to its smart, extended dialog exchanges and Grindhouse-evoking opening title sequence, it should definitely strike a chord for fans of the auteur.

This is especially true of the show's multidimensional characters, particularly those of the conning, thieving and murdering persuasion. In fact, I could totally envision an alternate film or series that sees a vengeance-fueled Cornelia systematically hunting down and executing each of her colorful enemies -  Kill Bill style - until she reaches the final showdown with the group's leader.

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