• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Preacher Season 4 Episode 5 Review – ‘Bleak City’

August 26, 2019 by Martin Carr

 

Martin Carr reviews the fifth episode of Preacher season 4…

There are a number of creative contradictions which relegate any mediocrity from episode four to the realm of bad memory. Combinations of pathos and villainy combine with endless invention making Preacher essential viewing, as the outcome can sometimes hinder rather than help. Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga and Dominic Cooper are so perfectly cast that often you take it for granted just how well they work together. Similarly Graham McTavish, Ian Coletti and Noah Taylor play their pitch perfect part in this frenetic acid flashback which uses tone, narrative and structure without appearing to apply any rules.

Anyone who has the balls to use Wolfmother as a backing track to slow motion fisticuffs gets my vote whatever comes next. Throw in a classic Queen ballad, some rafter shaking sexual congress and a vampire Sheik exiting stage left to announce Bleak City as a benchmark episode. Forgiveness which turns on a dime, blood soaked bodies hanging like flesh fittings and a Saint of Killers standing amongst the carnage tell us Preacher still means business.

By adding in a humanising Jesus this season just got infinitely better thanks to Tyson Ritter who until now has been hiding behind Humperdoo. Neither holier than thou nor turning to sin like a duck to water, this level headed Christ plays Asteroids, has daddy issues and indulges in medicinal substances. Gilgun adds more layers to Cassidy in Bleak City than anywhere else as he is finally loose of Masada and reunited with his woman. In denial he maybe but the chemistry between these two actors is evident and their longevity in the roles reap dividends. Likewise Dominic Cooper and Ian Coletti bring some much needed pathos to the table within their scenes, which play things straight and add depth. Whereas Noah Taylor gives Hitler a vulnerability which makes him the comic foil in virtually every situation, making Hitler a people person for the first time.

There are so many things in Preacher which are tasteless, violence, morally questionable or religiously deviant and yet it defies logic. These characters are not only likeable, relatable and human but realistically flawed. There are moments of exaggeration and inflated circumstance but beneath it all important questions are being asked, difficult debates started and no judgements being made. Consider the vampire circumcision a tongue in cheek distraction.

Martin Carr

Filed Under: Martin Carr, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Preacher

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Contemporary Queens of Action Cinema

The 10 Best Villains in Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies

10 Great Action Movies from 1995

How Will Quentin Tarantino Bow Out?

The Bourne Difference: The Major Book vs Movie Changes

Gladiator at 25: The Story Behind Ridley Scott’s Sword-and-Sandal Epic

Every Friday the 13th Movie Ranked From Worst to Best

Ten Essential British Horror Movies You Need To See

10 Great Recent Horror Movies You Need To See

7 Underrated Ridley Scott Movies

Top Stories:

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

Crazy Cult 80s Movies You May Have Missed

4K Ultra HD Review – Quatermass 2 (1957)

Movie Review – Sovereign (2025)

“Dexter In Space” – Michael C. Hall talks 20 years of Dexter and where the killer will go next

Movie Review – Abraham’s Boys (2025)

Matilda Lutz is Red Sonja in trailer for long-delayed fantasy reboot

Great Tarantino-esque Movies You Need To See

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Essential Movies About Memory

10 Great Movies About Twins

The Most Incredibly Annoying Movie Characters

Great 90s Neo-Noir Movies You Might Have Missed

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket