MovieChat Forums > Posse (1993) Discussion > Setting Civil Rights back 50 years...

Setting Civil Rights back 50 years...

posted 15 years ago by stanarmstrong-653-933719
10 replies | jump to latest

God bless Mario and his dad, Melvin Van Peebles. I'll tell ya, after I saw "Badass", I truly understand what a maverick filmmaker has to go through. And Melvin is at the forefront of black cinema. BUT...

... Mario Van Peebles' "Posse" is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen in my life.

I know what Mario was trying to do and I appreciate it, especially as an African-American ...

But the film was badly cast; misdirected; badly written. It just plain sucks. It's laughable to watch. The underrated Richard Jordan as the villain provided a few moments of studio-level entertainment, but at other times Van Peebles' direction left him overacting terribly.

I mean Jordan was so good in "Gettysburg" and then he shows up in a piece of *beep* like "Posse". He must have really needed the money.

What a great waste of black actors like Pam Grier. I mean anachronisms like having Nipsey Russell say: "Can't we just all get along?" I mean its not the anachronism itself that sucks, it's how poorly it's used (see Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" for how to do it right, Mario!)

And Mario, how the hell did you con Billy Zane into doing this quagmire? Or Harvard-educated Dick Jordan!?! Seriously, what, did they lose a bet?

Moreover, how did you con Republican Stephen Baldwin into being a part of this? Or is making this what turned him into a right-winger? God knows, if your direction of this film stood as the representative achievement of black potential, I'd have voted for Strom Thurmond.

Realistically, dude, Walter Hill should have directed this film. He would have done a bang-up job. With Denzel Washington in the lead, not so hard to imagine in 1993. The script should have been rewritten to reflect the vernacular of the time more accurately and had greater character development for the lead. An experienced actress like Angela Bassett would have helped. And even having some real buckaroos on the set to insure the real authenticity of the Bill Picketts, Deadwood Dicks, and even the Cherokee Bills would have made this lousy film more watchable.

I know, Mario, that you are trying to pay homage to Clint Eastwood, but, bro, you missed the mark on this puppy.

...However, Mario, the slim possibility does exist that you are a genius.

By willfully making something so bad that it's so awesomely entertaining when you're high and just want to have a good laugh, you may be the next Steven Seagal.

I suppose you can take "Posse" as a piece of high art, but it's like rewinding the Beatles' "White Album" to get a message.

For decent black cowboy movies, see: "Buck and The Preacher", "Blazing Saddles", "Sergeant Rutledge".

For one almost as bad, see "Wild Wild West".

P.S. There's a 50/50 chance Spike Lee could have hit a home run with this one.

P.P.S. Mario you hit a home run with "New Jack City", but you're the Dave Kingman of black filmmakers.

[–] Professicchio 15 years ago

Man that's Harsh!

OK, granted, this is not a great film, infact not even good, but I believe by the time he was making this he had already kind of given up on trying to emulate his father.

I remember reading in an interview he just wanted to do an homage to Sergio Leone and saying something like: "I don't want to be compared to Spike Lee, his 'anger' does not interest me!".

Fair enough if he doesn't want to make 'socially relevant' movies, let's just hope he can make good ones eventually, even if just for the sake of entertainment.

[–] trob226 15 years ago

Everybody's part was overblown in the film and highly stereotypical, but so what? So was the plot. I wouldn't call this high art, but it had its good points:

1. A rip-roarin' western focused on black cowboys is what it was meant to be, and it was rip-roarin'.

2. With Nipsey Russell, you can't go very wrong, and his "Can't we all just get along?" had to tell you there was something of a 50s western spoof going on here.

3. Richard Jordan's "No, ERROL!" was hilarious and he played a really good nasty SOB - Jordan had terrific range and could give a director as overblown or underplayed as he/she wanted, and the film being about black cowboys probably held some appeal for him as an historical thing. (aside - I doubt he was in any condition to watch the film when it finally came out - he was way too sick by then.)

4. Stephen Baldwin and Billy Zane played likewise overdone and stereotypical characters, but they were fun to watch. Actually, the only characters I really didn't enjoy watching that much were Van Peebles's and Salli Richardson's - just kind of bland. All the other characters had a sparkle, and the old white man on the porch cackling away when Van Peebles shot the guy in the street was priceless.

5. The whole thing was a light-weight history lesson, not a deep examination of turn of the century race relations. Van Peebles gave it the old college try - I applaud the attempt, even if the result wasn't that well-received. Too many people STILL believe the old west was full of nothing but WASPs versus Indians. Van Peebles at least tried to set a few things straight.

[–] chazgee 14 years ago

"...the Dave Kingman of black filmmakers."

- that's genius.

[–] pinbackwiggly 14 years ago

That was a pretty funny line.

I don't think I hated the movie quite as much as the original poster. Not the best movie ever made, but surely not the worst.

[–] mouldylocks 13 years ago

Spot on Stan - harsh but true! Street singers in New Orleans singing doowop in the 1800's, and torch singers singing soul - really.

[–] jritty 12 years ago

Stan - I think this movie works at entertainment. Lots of great actors who we didnt see enough of at the time... Is it good? I'd lean to "not really" but entertaining none the less. You're spot on with Walter hill though... Tresspass is STILL a very good flick and might I be so bold as to say this (or a similar script) should be remade today. I think the reason you're so harsh on it is obvious - it could have been (and should have been) a MUCH "better" movie...

But then we have Posse 2...and it make Posse look like amadeus lol

You Suck...now deal with it.

[–] activista 12 years ago

@stanarmstrong

Seriously,why is someone always acting like EVERY black film has to be perfect and represent ALL black people? I find that stupid,ridiculous, and just plain unrealistic. Black filmmakers should be allowed to make whatever the hell kinds of films they want---however, that's rarely been possible in Hollywood to begin with. I think you expected WAY too much from this flick---it's basically a good entertaining action-filled popcorn Western jacked up for the '90's ( I saw it when it came out back in the day and kind of liked it--- I had my issues with it, but it was still good to see a film about black cowboys for a change,especially since they were the original cowboys to begin with.) Yeah, there were better black Westerns than this one (BUCK AND THE PREACHER in particular) but POSSE can still hold its own as a fun thrill ride and a different take on the cowboys mythos that ain't focused on white folks for once.

I completely forgot Tone Loc,Big Daddy Kane (who looks great in his sharp suits) and Tiny Lister were also in this film--plus Stephen Baldwin was funny as hell in this (this was years before he became a right-wing Christian and quit doing secular films) as well as Billy Zane as the villain--it's showing again on the THIS channel tonight. It was also great to see old-school star Woody Strode do the opening narration and scene (this was his last film,I believe) and the same for Richard Jordan (he played the evil sheriff of Freetown.)

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lcplthomasc 8 years ago

You called Blazing Saddles a good black cowboy movie? I almost thought this was a serious post at first...

[–] timbob-478-937623 8 years ago

I'd say the current regime is doing a wonderful job of that.