Taylor Sheridan's Ambitious Yellowstone is Expansive, Unruly | TV/Streaming

As "Yellowstone" ambitiously loads up on conflict, Dutton faces contention from various sides, including a ritzy condo business being spearheaded by a particularly slimy Danny Huston, which looks to affect the land that’s already there, while bringing in tourism. But it's telling that the main conflict in the thrilling first episode of "Yellowstone" is about a cattle dispute with the neighboring Indian reservation that gets deadly, showing how certain business disputes have not changed, nor have the racial dynamics, even if they've been around for centuries. This contentious nature is articulated nicely by Gil Birmingham’s casino owner and Indian reservation community figure Thomas Rainwater, who has a fascinating background of learning later in life about how to use his identity as a Native American, having thought growing up that he was Mexican. Birmingham provides more than a worthy foe for Costner’s Dutton, and there’s a very precise smirk he gives in episode two, once the odds are in his favor, that indicates he could be one of the most unforgettable characters from the show. 

Collaborating again with "Wind River" cinematographer Ben Richardson, director Sheridan captures that rich sense of place that’s helped made his original scripts stand out. And like his previous directorial film project “Wind River,” there are plenty of swooping wide shots of the land, showing the natural beauty and humbling enormity of the setting that inspires him. Best of all, even if it seems overcrowded, “Yellowstone” offers a deep texture for its different levels of wealth, from the malnourished Indian reservation homes to the old money leather couches in the Dutton ranch house, or with the whiskey the Duttons always seem to have in hand. “Yellowstone” is sprawling in the most fascinating way, which makes its sudden bursts of violence all the more immediate and uncomfortable. 

Sheridan is a hell of a storyteller when it comes to creating (most) characters, and it leads to great performances, and abrasive scenarios of life and death. Numerous people here are especially compelling because Sheridan defines them most of all by their philosophies and their perspective, not just by what they want. They often speak platitudes in casual conversation, and you almost want to write them down. A further testament to Sheridan's skill, it would all seem so overwritten if the characters weren't so effectively grounded. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7vGnqmempWnwW%2BvzqZmrKyimq6utc2gZq2ZqaG8s3nSoZyroZSWu7R5wKaZoqyZpMK0edieo6Wnp6jBsLrEZqCsZZWtvaK60qKtnmWlo7%2B2uNg%3D