BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

zardoz-13 "New Jack City" director Mario Van Peebles and scenarists Sy Richardson and Dario Scardapane pay homage to virtually every memorable Hollywood western with "Posse," an elegant inventory of clichés ranging from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" to "Once Upon a Time in the West." Derivative as all get-out, this R-rated horse opera delivers a little bit of everything, from a search for gold in Cuba to a desperate flight across the mountainous badlands of the American west. Although it borrows from every iconic oater, "Posse" qualifies as one of the best African-American westerns, with a distinguished cast. "White Sands" lenser Peter Menzies Jr.'s stylistic cinematography endows this adventure a mythic, larger-than-life grandeur. Aside from the atmospheric settings, "Posse" benefits from Van Peebles's muscular helming and charismatic performance as the protagonist. He wears a flat-brimmed black hat, has a couple of six-guns holstered in belts crisscrossing his waist. Of course, he can brandish them like chained lightning and plug his adversaries dead-center with every shot. Peebles surrounds himself with a first-rate cast, including Woody Strode, Stephen Baldwin, Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Blair Underwood, Billy Zane, and Richard Jordan. This rugged, hard-riding horse opera unfolds initially in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in the 1890s. Arrogant U.S. Army Colonel Graham (Billy Zane of "Titanic") orders Jesse Lee (Mario Van Peebles of "Heartbreak Ridge") to take a group of predominantly African-Americans in civilian clothes, infiltrate enemy lines, and bring back whatever he can find. Jesse Lee, Jimmy J. 'Little J' Teeters (Stephen Baldwin of "The Usual Suspects"), and Obobo (Tommy Lister of "Friday") stumble upon a chest of gold coins. When Colonel Graham happens upon them-prepared to shoot them as deserters and confiscate the loot for himself-Jesse shoots him in the eye and escapes with the loot. One of Graham's disgraced African-American troopers, Weezie (Charles Lane of "True Identity") turns against Graham and helps Jesse and company get away from Cuba. They are shipped out in coffins and taken to the mainland in Florida. From there our heroes light out for the Wild West. Graham follows them in hot pursuit with a patch over one eye and greed pumping through his veins. Graham is every inch a dastard, and he maintains his own 'posse' that has earned the name 'the Iron Brigade.' Tirelessly, they track our heroes across the west to an African-American town, Freemanville, fears the angry, racist whites in the nearby town of Cutterstown. Sheriff Bates (Richard Jordan of "Lawman") is one of several men who killed Jesse's father, King David (Robert Hooks of "Trouble Man"), and Jesse has vengeance loaded into his six-shooters. Incredibly enough, the scene that sticks in the memory is the death of Jimmy J. 'Little J' Teeters (Stephen Baldwin) because a gang of angry whites beat 'Little J' to death in front of a crowd of African-Americans. The irony here is revelatory. "Posse" proclaims proudly the exploits of African-Americans on the frontier. Specifically, Jesse's unit Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 10th Cavalry Regiment. Similarly, the legendary but largely forgotten Hollywood actor Woody Strode serves as the anonymous narrator who introduces and concludes the movie. Much of what he utters is designed to challenge audiences with a limited acquaintance with African-American history. Indeed, the other thing that sets "Posse" apart from every other western is its theatrical celebration of African-Americans and African-American History. Van Peebles orchestrates some slam-bang action scenes with lots of gunplay and explosions. The explosion that destroys the Gatlin gun in town looks like a napalm strike. As symbols of rank and authority, Zane and Jordan constitute two truly slimy villains. Zane's creepy Graham howls "rewards and retributions" throughout "Posse." Rounding out the cast are Pam Grier, Isaac Hayes, and his own father Melvin Van Peebles. Although its message gets heavy-handed at time, "Posse" ranks as a landmark African-American movie, a solid western, and an entertaining shoot'em up with a touch of inevitable romance.

mozli I wanted very much to enjoy this film. When it was released I wasn't interested in watching any westerns. I'd come back to it because I believe Mario Van Peebles has a great film in him. Unfortunately, this one is not it. It is ambitious and the multi-racial cast gives it a good go. The various skill and talent levels aren't blended correctly to make an organic, cohesive whole. A shame because its clear that Robert Hooks is trying really hard as is Billy Zane. Seeing old school players like Lawrence Cook and Pam Grier trying to make sense out of their brief story arcs was a chore. The biggest problem for me was Mario at some point decided to make it a vanity project because it started out a decent, 40's style western(albeit with nudity and some extreme violence)that morphed into a weak Clint Eastwood imitation. The contributions of rap star Tone Loc were pitiful at best but Big Daddy Kane worked harder and his work was credible. Richard Jordan and Blair Underwood are so intriguing together that they are almost in a different, better movie. There are a lot of moments like that in this film where you sit frustrated at the editing and continuity decisions made by the director and the cinematographer. What is clear is that the script is pointing to a much, much better film than what is being delivered. Oh, BTW, the word 'motherfucker' has its origins in the antebellum slave culture of North America. I've seen many complaints here about the usage of that epithet and how it shouldn't have been used during that era(1898). Research the word and you will discover its bleak and stark history. If you were a fan of the show DEADWOOD you would have noticed that the character Swearingen peppered his remarks with the word and it even popped up in the film Heaven's Gate. I have to give it up again to the Billy Zane for his spectacular death scene. I didn't have that big of a problem with the New Jack Swing musical stylings imposed on the film's soundtrack but I did take issue with the lack of banjos and fiddles.A blown opportunity for greatness.

merklekranz This movie has some great character actors, Isaac Hayes, Woody Strode, Pam Grier, Paul Bartel, and unfortunately they are mostly wasted. The development of the main characters is too rushed, and the story races on at a breakneck pace. "Posse' borrowed liberally from the "spaghetti westerns" ( revenge flashbacks as in "For a Few Dollars More", gattling gun as in "A Fistful of Dollars", coming of the railroad as in "Once Upon a Time in the West") The movie tries to accomplish too much too quickly, and makes one wish that the deliberate pace of the "spaghetti westerns" had also been "borrowed". I rate it a 5.0, very average, and a missed opportunity. - MERK

thehumanduvet A good old-fashioned flight-and-revenge western, given a twist and a touch of gravitas by injecting a little black social history into its plot. Lead by Mario Van Peebles, who does OK, the gang of misfits on the run from Billy Zane's (seemingly unstoppable) army bigwig all acquit themselves well, their adventures plausible yet fun and exciting. There're some nice moody flashback scenes setting up the hero's character and backstory, a good shoot-out ending as our heroes defend the town from greedy white landgrabbers, and even Stephen Baldwin isn't bad in this enjoyable, quite powerful western.