Justified | TV Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Mar 1, 2011

Timothy Olyphant is America’s badass. Consistently snubbed for his exceptional ability to portray the coolest of the cool (playing Agent 47 in the acclaimed videogame-turned-blockbuster ‘Hitman’ and lawful hero/zombie-killing sheriff in ‘The Crazies’), Olyphant is often discarded as a stagnant B-list Clint Eastwood wannabe. But for those willing to pay attention, he is much more. And really, isn’t Clint Eastwood a Clint Eastwood wannabe these days?

Olyphant plays U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, whose little tiff with his Miami higher-ups has sent him reeling back to his old stomping ground in Kentucky - and wouldn’t you know it, there’s mischief afoot. Givens’ poise and intelligence gives him the all the presence of a seasoned detective, with just enough off-the-cuff attitude to push his sense of the greater good past the bureaucratic nonsense of his higher-ups.

Talk around the moonshine distillery has already propelled Margo Martindale’s Emmy-worthy performance as the Ursula of Kentucky reefer-farmers towards its namesake gold (and yes, that’s a ‘Little Mermaid’ reference). Martindale’s haunting performance as Mags Bennett is terrifyingly brilliant. The Godfather of a backwoods gang of dumb-as-dirt, violent-as-wolves ruffians, Mags’ ruthless control is sure to present Givens with plenty to wrestle with this season.
Don’t let the awful credit sequence throw you. ‘Justified’ is a character-driven, modern gut-wrencher whose unusual hour-long format allows stories to both breathe and explore character’s intricacies. And despite being set in Kentucky, there seems to be plenty to play with.