Posse (Van Peebles, 1993): BFI Southbank, NFT1, 8.40pm
This 35mm presentation (which will feature an introduction by Mario Van Peebles) is part of the African American Western season and also screens on February 25th. You can find the full details here.
Chicago Reader review:
Not to be confused with the better-than-average western directed by Kirk
Douglas in 1975, this 1993 movie about blacks in the west directed by
and starring Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City) breaks with
standard genre myth to come closer to historical truth. Pretty good in
terms of action and character, but since historical verisimilitude is at
issue I certainly could have done without the blatantly anachronistic
music (I seriously doubt that chanteuses resorted to flatted fifths in
turn-of-the-century saloons). The plot follows the exploits of veterans
of the Spanish-American War (including Van Peebles, Charles Lane, Tone
Loc, Tiny Lister Jr., and Big Daddy Kane), all but one of them (Stephen
Baldwin) black, who have banded together to form a posse. As in New Jack City,
Van Peebles displays a distinctive visual style of tilted angles and
frequent camera movement, and the script by Sy Richardson and Dario
Scardapane also keeps things moving, but perhaps the best sequence of
all is the opening one, which features the great Woody Strode.
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Here (and above) is the trailer.
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