US Marshal Raylan Givens (Tim Olyphant) has given local mobster Thomas Buckley (Peter Greene) 24hrs to leave Miami. And well time is up and Raylan waste no time to let him know, but Buckley has no intensions of leaving which results of him getting shot and killed. The US Marshalls decide to move Raylan out of the spotlight and decide to send him to Lexington, Kentucky. The soft spoken cowboy is now back in the country and in the land that saw him grow up and that he wants nothing to do with. As he is forced to stay in town familiar faces and his past begin to bring him problems that he will soon have to deal with.
In a TV schedule that is filled by a mountain of cop shows it’s surprising that Justified brings something fresh to the table. We are often confronted by the same cop shows that deal with the same exact situations with some ridiculous characters that just simply make you wonder if the producers even studied real life situations and individuals. Anyway, Justified tries to not only stand on its own and bring some originality to the table. Graham Yost and his writers manage to make Raylan and company stand on its own without envying other shows on TV. Yost and company quickly make sure to give the leading character a smooth personality that viewers can easily become attached to. Once this was achieved the rest sort of falls into line.
The show doesn’t feature an arching story that hooks its viewers to continuously comeback to see the outcome. It lays the foundation of the story from the very first few episodes and each episode builds upon that with new details and stories that fit well together. Tim Olyphant as Rayland Givens is a great casting choice. He fits the criteria of the character giving it finesse and the necessary class to fit in properly as required. His take on the calm, fresh looking, and yet deadly cowboy is perfect. Olyphant really brings to life the character and while we know Raylan is calm you can see his inner turmoil. The rest of the cast is just as engaging and pleasing to watch as they fit the criteria correctly. Justified offers a fresh new angle on the already crowded cop drama shows already flooding TV networks.
Justified: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 1.78:1. Colors are bright and bold throughout with greens, browns, and reds standing out especially during the country scene shots. Skin tones are natural and lifelike. Black levels are flat especially during the night shots. Detailing is excellent especially during close up shots proving a revealing look at the textures of each of the actors faces. Clothing as well as the surrounding features a great deal of textures. A few dark scenes exhibit some crushing, but all other anomalies are kept at bay. Justified looks good on Blu-ray.
Justified: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. This isn’t a show that will be constantly being riddled with action. With that being said, dialogue is clean and clear throughout with great prioritization on the front speakers. The rears are active in various instances providing great ambience effects to make you feel right in the country side of in the busy streets of the city. The LFE output is always ready to provide support, and is very noticeable during the bombing of the church as is provides enough force for the loud explosion. Overall, the track has a simple design and fits quite well for the show.
Audio Commentary: Episode 1 “Fire in the Hole” – Featuring executive producer Graham Yost, actor Nick Searcy, Gregg Sutter, and director Michael Dinner. This first track, like the rest, deals with some of the problems the crew had with shooting including the hat worn by Olyphant.
Audio Commentary: Episode 8 “Blowback” – Featuring executive producer Graham Yost and writer Ben Cavell. Yost takes over the track and tackles aspects of the episode supported by Cavell.
Audio Commentary: Episode 9 “Hatless” – Featuring actors Tim Olyphant, Natalie Zea, and writer Dave Andron. The actors tackle the episode providing insights about the shooting.
Audio Commentary: Episode 13 “Bulletville” – Featuring executive producer Graham Yost and writer Fred Golan. Just like the other tracks featuring Graham Yost, he takes over and provides insight into the episode asking questions to the other participants.
What Would Elmore DO? – Elmore Leonard, author and executive producer of the show, discusses his stories and how he helps make the pilot of the show. Writers of the show also discuss how it is working with Elmore and how the show fits perfectly in a cable television network.
The Story of Justified – A short promotional behind the scenes look at the story behind the show.
Justified: Meet The Characters – Another promotional featurette dealing with the characters of the show.
Shooting For Kentucky – This featurette allows the producers of the show to discuss the place where Raylan originates and the how they tried to match the wardrobe to that of the people living in Harlan, Kentucky.
Meet The Marshalls – Retired US Marshal Charlie Almanza discusses the history of the US Marshal and their evolution throughout the years.
Music Video: Long Hard Times to Come
Season Two: A Look Ahead – A quick sneak peak of what’s to come in season two and discussed by producers. Spoiler warning!
Previews
I originally had written Justified off as just another cop show and it actually did me good as I went in with low expectations. Justified was better than I had expected, isn’t that what we all wish for? Tim Olyphant fit the character perfectly and the producers of the show understood what needed to be done in order to keep viewers hooked. That’s all we really ask for in a TV show, so please do yourself a favor and check out Justified you might just get hooked. The Blu-ray features a good video and audio transfer that should please the fans. Also, a good set of supplements that should keep fans of the show busy after the show’s finale. Justified comes highly recommended.
