The Mandalorian Episode 1 Review - 6 Ups And 1 Down

Ups...

6. The Western Motif Works Perfectly

Star Wars has always been a western, in the sense that the original, 1977 classic took major inspiration from The Hidden Fortress, one of many samurai films by the legendary Akira Kurosawa that would come to form the basis of countless Old West tales helmed by American and Italian directors in the 1960s. Han Solo's as close to a space cowboy as you can get without putting an egregiously large hat on his already cowboy-ish costume, and there are plenty of other examples littered throughout the franchise that owe their existence to the western genre.

The Mandalorian, in a way, is paying Star Wars' debt to the genre - almost from the off. It's very Leone, and the intro where the titular Mando enters a remote canteen is even accompanied by a Morricone-esque accompaniment.

Pedro Pascal's protagonist is also typical of the genre. He's stoic, and while the Man With No Name comparisons are apt (Clint Eastwood's character from Leone's 'Dollars Trilogy'), he's not exactly emotionally distant. There's a vulnerability to the character and Pascal is able to sell those brief moments surprisingly well even when hidden behind a mask.

The western motif also translates into the action, and to a more lawless kind of Star Wars than we've seen before...