i admit it. when i first watched the first season of justified, it is mainly because i have a thing for timothy olyphant's flat board stomach and that toned shoulders that could not possibly belonged to a 43 year old. and damned he looked good. i am officially impressed with champion swimmers'...err...bodies.
flat board tummies can't carry a good story though. this show is about a pissed off marshall who tries his best to hide that he has anger management issues and hated that he's a small town hillbilly. he tries hard to disguise the fact that despite being borned a hillbilly, he ain't like the rest of them who is still stuck in a small kampung called harlan, deep in the mountains of kentucky. he is pissed off that he's divorced and still has the hots for his ex, and the only thing that keeps him sane is his twisted brand of morality and justice that is oddly black and white. timothy olyphant had in the past played unfeeling cowboys with a sense of justice that can't be swayed in the excellently made, yet shortlived deadwood (2004-2006). as raylan givens he merely perfected the role, he makes men who don't talk much so that he can draw his gun faster than the creep next to him very very sexy.
the show is a joy to watch. i love the witty script, the moving plot, the casts, the yellow colour of dusty kentucky, the shots and angles taken in the show, the southern drawl that they are speaking - they are proud people who would not bow to anyone, they have their way of doing things, they are criminals who live side by side jostling to control the town's only trade - drugs. never underestimate kampung folks when you see one.
