SXSW Review: Pierce Brosnan Returns to Television in AMC’s “The Son”

Image courtesy of AMC

After a 30 year absence, Pierce Brosnan marks his return to television in the only possible way, with a series of gunshots, chases, and a dynamite fueled explosion. The twist? The shots ring out from single-action six shooters and early model 1911’s, and the chases are performed on horseback.  At SXSW 2017, AMC premiered their new western drama, The Son.

With Brosnan starring as morally ambiguous cattle baron Eli McCullough, The Son is described as “A multi-generational epic telling of the story of America’s birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas oil empire.

Based on the novel of the same name written by Philipp Meyer, The Son divides its screen time between a young Eli McCullough (played by Jacob Lofland), captured by Apaches after witnessing the murder of his family in 1849, and Brosnan’s McCullough 60 years later, now a merciless cattle baron.  Conflicts include those between Eli and a group of Mexicans hellbent on reclaiming his land, of which they believe is rightfully theirs, and conflict within, between Eli and his son Pete McCullough (Henry Garrett) regarding how best to handle the ranch’s enemies and who’s the man that truly runs it.

The Son‘s first two episodes plays through the necessary roll call of plot & characters without breaking new ground, but now that that box is checked the show does indeed look very promising.  Brosnan’s attachment to the project “at the 11th hour” as he described at a post-screening Q&A is all but unnoticeable (Actor Sam Neill was originally attached, but left for cited “personal reasons”), and we’re expecting a solid performance as he delves deeper and darker into his character. We’ll find out more about that character on the series premiere Saturday April 8th at 9/8 CST on AMC.

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