Amid Montana’s spectacular scenery, the Dutton family tussles with real estate developers and the government. The brothers’ massive acreage also lures the ruthless Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham).
This Paramount series, co-created by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water), brings the same sensibility to television that made his films stand out. It is a western about internecine family rivalry, large-scale power plays and American ideology.
The Story
Whether in a swooping wide shot or the heavily telegraphed reversal of a gunfight, Yellowstone’s visuals evoke the grand scale and humbling enormity of the Montana landscape. But it’s not just a series of breathtaking images; it is also a story of family feuds, corporate greed, and the exploitation of both Native Americans and ranchers. And its sympathies lie with John Dutton (Kevin Costner), a patriarch presiding over a sprawling dynastic ranch the size of some countries.
As with Sheridan’s previous scripts for Sicario and Hell or High Water, the show explores the complexities of masculinity, the American West, and Native exploitation. But it’s the cast that truly shines, with Costner in fine form as a big-game hunter, Harrison Ford as his irascible father-in-law, and Helen Mirren as the kindly matriarch whose love for her children isn’t diminished by their inability to conceive. The other standouts include Darren Mann, Aminah Nieves, and Gil Birmingham. Unlike the drab, humorless dramas that occupy TV’s lower rungs, Yellowstone aims for something bigger.
The Cast
Like last year’s critically acclaimed movie Wind River, Yellowstone features plenty of sweeping wide shots to help you take in the humbling expanse of Montana. And Sheridan’s scripts are rich in the sort of texture that sets his repelisplus films apart from the pack — whether it’s the tense family feud, the corrupt politics or the booze-fueled violence.
Kevin Costner is as strong as ever as John Dutton, the patriarch of a family ranch the size of some countries whose way of life is being threatened by resort developers and the political machinations of state governments. But the show also benefits from a terrific supporting cast led by Josh Lucas (Dutton’s son), Kylie Rogers (Beth) and Mo Brings Plenty.
Grammy-winner Ryan Bingham rounds out the main cast as the shady ranch hand Walker. He comes from an impressive acting pedigree, including a role in Boardwalk Empire and being the grandson of Oscar-winner Walter Huston. He also co-wrote and directed the first season of Yellowstone.
The Setting
After winning acclaim for his frontier stories in Sicario and Hell or High Water, writer-director Taylor Sheridan broadens his scope with this sweeping epic about a Montana family’s battle against modern forces.
Costner’s patriarch presides over a sprawling dynastic ranch the size of some countries, and his way of life is being threatened by resort developers, tribal rights activists, and the state’s authority. But he’s not an unreasonable man, and Sheridan resists making his character into a cartoonish villain.
That said, most of the Dutton children are one-dimensional, and even likable older son Lee (Dave Annable) tends to do his best to please his father. The real star here is Luke Grimes, whose naturalism elevates Kayce from the usual “bad boy” tropes. Nonetheless, Yellowstone is an accomplished piece of work and far better than many straight-to-streaming cowboy movies that have plagued the genre lately. That’s in part thanks to Sheridan’s talented cast, but also because of the stunning setting.
The Final Words
There’s a reason why Yellowstone has been described as TV’s first “red-state show.” Though critics have derided that label as too simplistic, it’s true that the series revolves around the idea that one way of living is a purer, more authentic, and better way. And while the battles between Dutton and his financial rivals, his unfaithful children, and his own brainwashed followers have the feel of a typical family-rivalry soap opera, they’re also rife with existential anxiety.
The 10-episode series is Sheridan’s biggest project yet, and it delivers the thrills of his frontier trilogy (which includes 2015’s Hell or High Water and last year’s Wind River) with more of the contentious, larger-scale power plays that distinguish prestige dramas like Billions and Succession. But unlike other Westerns of its ilk, Yellowstone doesn’t shy away from examining the inescapable smallness of feeling aggrieved and besieged. And that’s what makes it worth watching. In a world of slicker, faster productions, it’s refreshing to see something a little more real.
