1923 review: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren bring gravitas to Western – despite no action

Yellowstone is an odd franchise. Though hugely popular in America, that same devotion hasn’t quite spread to the shores of the UK – where keeping up with the exploits of the Dutton family was no easy task until the launch of Paramount Plus earlier this year.

Some may have committed the time to catch-up on five series of Yellowstone, and its first prequel series 1883, but it’s more likely people will jump in here with 1923, which continues the story of how the Dutton family came to own their ranch and has only gone and cast bloody Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in the lead roles.

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren! Is it any wonder there’s more buzz about this quintessentially American western (this time set during the Great Depression and prohibition)?

The two, of course, lend a real gravitas to what is, at least as far as one can tell from episode one, a pretty simple story about stopping cows dying, locusts and land disputes.

It’s relatively low on action really.

Harrison Ford at one point draws a gun. Always a treat. Helen Mirren delivers a stirring speech. Pinpoint, as ever. But it’s a slow, gentle start to the series which sets its (admittedly) gorgeous scene and little else.

Of course, this could all mean a lot more to Yellowstone devotees who know their Duttons from their onions, but for newcomers it will take a bit of patience.

But there’s two twists to the action this time around, with two separate storylines to the main action of varying levels of success. One involves a Dutton in Africa (we won’t say which as part of the joy is figuring out who is who and how they tie into the larger story) who is hunting dangerous wildlife attacking British tourists.

We’ve graduated from cows and sheep, people – this time we’ve got zebras, lions and leopards. Heck, an elephant even wanders into shot in one scene. It’s all good fun even if it doesn’t feel like it has any real connection to the main story until a late episode revelation.

The other story, however, focusing on a Native American teenager residing in a government boarding school run by nuns, is really quite unpleasant. Taylor Sheridan (creator of this and Yellowstone) has never shied away from violence in his work, but all we see of this character for the 15 minutes she’s on screen is a variety of beatings and cruel punishments delivered with almost gleeful relish.

Perhaps it will feel more earned once the story ties into whatever is going on with the cows – but as it stands it’s just straight up misery porn and little else.

It casts an unfortunate shadow over what is already a fairly bleak and oppressive return to the American Midwest.

That grimness is, of course, reflecting a more authentic take on frontier living in these times but the strength of Ford and Mirren’s performances can only carry you so far and 1923 is going to have to find a higher gear to keep the new audience it hopes to find.

Converts to the Yellowstone cause will be satisfied enough, of course, but newcomers may want to wait before deciding to graze.