A JUSTIFIED RETURN // A SERIES REVIEW OF “JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL”
By Mateo moreno
They say you can’t go home. Well, Raylan Givens didn’t go home, at least not back to Harlan, but he is back in our homes with Justified: City Primeval a reboot mini-series of sorts bringing Timothy Olyphant back to the best role he’s ever played: the Stetson wearing deputy Raylan Givens, first introduced in Elmore Leonard’s novellas and then brought to the screen for six stellar seasons. Now we’re revisiting that world, built with the same swagger but a new location. Justified was one of my favorite series and I’m thrilled to report that this return does not disappoint.
Adapted from Leonard’s 1980 novel “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit,” we leave Harlan to head to Detroit beginning with a family road trip that Givens is taking with his daughter Willa (played by his real-life daughter Vivian Olyphant). That’s all interrupted by a would-be carjacking, one that Givens easily foils. However, that leads him into the courtroom and up against defense lawyer Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis), who he instantly has a connection to. However, because this is Elmore Leonard’s world, Givens is quickly drawn into protecting a judge against attempts on his life and comes toe to toe with a sociopath and his girlfriend, hell-bent on causing trouble in the loudest ways possible.
We may not be in Harlan, but this Justified feels just as sweet as the original. Olyphant slips back into his Stetson perfectly, bringing a slightly calmer (and slightly greying) Raylan into view but keeping that Cowboy attitude intact. His interactions with his daughter are sweet and strong and add a great base for the conflicted lawman. Boyd Holbrook’s unhinged crook Clement Mansell makes a great villain and Holbrook adds an uncertainty to each moment. It’s a great return to form, adding a new feeling to Givens world and there’s even rumors that this may not be Givens last rodeo. I, for one, would be very happy to have new adventures in the world of Raylan Givens. It’s a new world, but it feels just as fresh as yesterday.
GRADE: A-
CREATED BY Dave Andron, Michael Dinner BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY Elmore Leonard STARRING Timothy Olyphant, Boyd Holbrook, Aunjanue Ellis, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Marin Ireland, Victor Williams, Norbert Leo Butz, Vivian Olyphant. ALL EPISODES NOW STREAMING ON HULU (US)