This is not a new story at first: The farmer Royal Abbott (sexy weathered: Josh Brolin) is fighting for his farmland, a hostile family wants to take it from him. In addition, there is trouble in their own clan: the daughter-in-law has disappeared, Abbott’s marriage is more of a habit than a pleasure, the cash register is empty, the frustration is great, the sons fail. And as if that weren’t enough, Abbott suddenly discovers in the vast expanse of his Wyoming pastureland a hole as gigantic as it is mysterious, black, bottomless, and appearing out of nowhere. But is it really a hole?
“Outer Range” is marketed as a neo-western, but that’s only partially true. Similar to “Lovecraft Country” from the year before last, different genres are mixed here: HP Lovecraft meets Stephen King meets Cormac McCarthy – the result is a fresh hybrid of science fiction, western and mystery, whose form does not bury the story in the center , but always keeps it in focus. This follows the classic narrative pattern from the western United States that has served as the blueprint for films and series for decades, from “Giant” to “Dallas”.
Josh Brolin triumphs
In doing so, “Outer Range” avoids any exaggeration and focuses devotedly on its characters, above all Royal Abbott and the mysterious stranger Autumn (Imogen Poots), who is camping on the Abbotts’ pasture land and whose intentions are somehow connected to the mysterious hole. The hole remains the central point of the series, but the stories around it are no less exciting. The fight between the Abbotts and their neighbors, the Tillersons, their crazy father (Will Patton) and his no less weird sons, for a piece of land the estimated size of Lower Saxony is at least as enchantingly told as Royal Abbott’s search for explanations for life and the hole in the midst of his estate.
In general, Josh Brolin is so famous in this role, so haunting that he alone could provide the magnetism of “Outer Range”. It’s been a long time since he’s seen such an alluring portrayal as his introspective, anger-driven yet warm-hearted cowboy. Each scene with the main character is like a piñata: what’s next? A tantrum, a breakdown, maybe both? Brolin has long since proven that he is a fantastic actor, at the latest in “No Country for Old Men”. You’ll be happy to forgive him little slip-ups like the cockroach shocker “Mimic”.
Rating 4 out of 5
Outer Range, Series, 8 Episodes, Amazon Prime Video