Snakes, a bloody violin, and a whole lot of dust are just some of the telling images found in the “Godless” opening titles. The highly anticipated Netflix series, which stars an alarmingly rugged Jeff Daniels, is set to premiere on Wednesday, November 22, and the gorgeous title sequence forces its Western themes to shine, as “Godless” breaks down the deeply harmful consequences of war.
Composer Carlos Rafael Rivera layered a silky yet haunting string melody over the gritty images created by Method Studios, giving the Netflix drama a flair reminiscent of its premium channel competitors. An obscene amount of gun violence is expected and is called upon throughout the minute-long introduction, along with pictures of death, tough women, and political rivalry. The sequence was executive produced by Angela Lupo and produced by Emily Schaeberle, with Jonn Likens serving as creative director.
The series is brought to life by screenwriter and director Scott Frank alongside Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh. As previously mentioned, scraggly Jeff Daniels is notorious criminal Frank Griffin, who heads a gang of outlaws as they seek out Roy Goode, a traitor played by Jack O’Connell. While he’s on the run, Roy finds himself in the safety of Alice Fletcher, played by Michelle Dockery, a widower living in La Belle, New Mexico, a town governed mainly by women. The standoff begins when town catches word of Griffin’s arrival, providing viewers with an intense showdown that turns usual power dynamics on their head.
A feminist Western is something everyone should be getting behind, but the insatiable cast is only one out of a handful of reasons to tune into Netflix’s new fall show. Merritt Weaver (“The Walking Dead”), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“Game of Thrones”), Sam Waterston (“The Newsroom”), and Kim Coates (“Sons of Anarchy”) make one hell of an ensemble cast, proving “Godless” a dangerously exciting addition to the streaming service.
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