Deadwood: The Movie
A continuation of the Deadwood series set in 1889.
HBO · via Wikipedia: Deadwood: The Movie · Fair use
Deadwood: The Movie, a 2019 American Western television film for HBO, was directed by Daniel Minahan and written by David Milch. It continues the story of the television series of the same name, which Milch created and which aired for three seasons between 2004 and 2006. The film brings back most of the show’s large ensemble cast and debuted on May 31, 2019.
In 1889, as South Dakota celebrates its statehood, former and current residents of Deadwood join the festivities. Widow Alma Garret Ellsworth returns with her ward Sofia, while Calamity Jane comes back to reconcile with her old flame Joanie Stubbs, who now runs the Bella Union gambling hall and bordello after Cy Tolliver’s death. Also present is George Hearst, now a U.S. senator, who has returned to buy land from Charlie Utter. Utter’s property interferes with telephone line installations Hearst has invested in.
Trixie, pregnant with Sol Star’s child, insults Hearst from her balcony. This makes Hearst realize that Al Swearengen deceived him years earlier when Hearst demanded Trixie be killed; Swearengen had cut the throat of an innocent Trixie look-alike instead. Hearst visits the ailing Swearengen, who suffers from liver failure, and demands his help in acquiring Utter’s land in exchange for not taking revenge on Trixie.
Utter consults U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock about his dealings with Hearst. Bullock reminds Utter of what Hearst is capable of when denied. Hearst meets Utter on his land and tries to make a deal, but Utter refuses to sell. Later that night, Bullock and his deputy Harry Manning search for Utter and find him murdered on his property. Bullock finds Samuel Fields nearby, who saw what happened but refuses to testify out of fear. Bullock places Fields under guard at the marshal’s office and confronts Hearst, accusing him of murdering his friend.
E.B. Farnum spies on Hearst and sees him meeting with Smith and Seacrest, the gunmen hired to kill Utter. Hearst tells them about Fields and orders them to kill him. Farnum informs Bullock of this at an auction for Utter’s property, where Alma outbids Hearst.
The hitmen arrive at the marshal’s office, where Manning is revealed as Hearst’s informant. They attempt to lynch Fields but are stopped by Bullock, who kills Seacrest and captures Smith. Fields confirms they are Utter’s killers.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Western
- Writer
- David Milch
- Director
- Daniel Minahan
- Music
- Reinhold Heil · Johnny Klimek
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Executive Producer
- David Milch / Carolyn Strauss / Daniel Minahan / Gregg Fienberg / Scott Stephens / Ian McShane / Timothy Olyphant
- Editor
- Erick Fefferman / Martin Nicholson
- Cinematography
- David Klein
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
- Company
- HBO Films · Red Board Productions · The Mighty Mint
- Released
- 2019-05-31
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set in 1889, as South Dakota celebrates its statehood, past and present residents of Deadwood gather for the festivities. Widow Alma Garret Ellsworth returns with her ward Sofia, while Calamity Jane seeks to reconcile with Joanie Stubbs, who now runs the Bella Union after Cy Tolliver's death. Senator George Hearst returns to purchase land from Charlie Utter, whose property interferes with telephone line installations in which Hearst has invested. Trixie, pregnant with Sol Star's child, insults Hearst, revealing that Al Swearengen had deceived Hearst years earlier by killing an innocent look-alike instead of Trixie. Hearst, ailing from liver failure, demands Swearengen's help in acquiring Utter's land in exchange for sparing Trixie. Utter refuses to sell and is later found murdered. U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock accuses Hearst of the murder, leading to a confrontation. Bullock arrests Hearst after he interrupts Trixie and Sol's wedding with deputies seeking to arrest Trixie for an 1877 attempted murder. A mob led by Calamity Jane beats Hearst, but Bullock intervenes and escorts Hearst to jail. Jane kills deputy Harry Manning before he can shoot Bullock. The film ends with Trixie reciting the Lord's Prayer over Swearengen, who replies, 'Let Him fucking stay there.'
Reader's Guide
Deadwood: The Movie represents the long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed HBO series, which was canceled after three seasons in 2006. The film was greenlit in July 2018 after years of negotiations between HBO and creator David Milch. Production began in October 2018, with the mining town sets recreated on the same lot used for Westworld. The film reunites nearly all surviving main cast members, with the exceptions of Powers Boothe, Ricky Jay, and Ralph Richeson, who died between the series and the film, and Titus Welliver, who was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. Garret Dillahunt and Larry Cedar, whose characters died in the series, returned as background characters. The film's narrative focuses on the passage of time and the toll it has taken on the characters, particularly Al Swearengen, whose power is waning due to illness. The film received positive reviews for its faithful continuation of the series' tone and character arcs.
Did You Know?
- Powers Boothe, Ricky Jay, and Ralph Richeson died between the conclusion of the series and production of the film; Boothe's small role was written out.
- Titus Welliver, who played Silas Adams, was unable to appear due to scheduling conflicts with his Amazon Prime series Bosch.
- Garret Dillahunt and Larry Cedar, who played characters killed in the original series, returned as background characters.
- Nic Pizzolatto helped David Milch write the screenplay.
More in Characters & Personalities
Elsewhere in Deadwood
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