THE PLOT THUS FAR
A former Confederate soldier still haunted by his past, Cullen Bohannon made a home in Hell on Wheels hunting down the men responsible for killing his family. Following the Indian attack that destroyed the railroad settlement, Cullen spends a long winter reshaping his lust for revenge into a burning ambition to take control of the Union Pacific and drive it across the country.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Hell on Wheels” opens its third season following last year’s Indian attack. Cullen now wants to rebuild what he can, but he also wants to take control of the local train and leave. The even mix of revenge and humor in a Western setting will appease recent Quentin Tarantino fans. But, don’t expect the same level of panache. What we have here is a scaled down take on a realistic violent West.
I am impressed that the show has made it to a third year. Westerns have a damn hard time in American entertainment, plus they don’t do so hot overseas. However, there’s something about this show that fits the mold of what AMC has been trying to do over the last few years. Flip an accepted genre on its ear and do your best to tell stories that help build a world. While this season pulled off quite a few edge of your seat moments, I didn’t find many attempts to forward the overall narrative. Still, I appreciated getting more time with Colm Meaney playing a mean ol’ bastard. If you’ve been following the show this long, there’s no reason to stop.
The Blu-Ray comes with a ton of featurettes as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty superb for recent TV on Blu-Ray. The 1080p transfer makes the rustic environments come to life much like Deadwood. Plus, the DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is nice and robust. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!