Underrated Western

I know I'm a little bit late responding, but I totally agree with you. It's not like there are a bunch of other black Westerns to compare it to anyway, LOL. Definitely not in the same league as Tombstone or Unforgiven, but this film definitely has redeeming qualities. The dialogue and music were a little too contemporary but servicable. True, the sex scene was a bit much but I didn't mind seeing Salli Richardson-Whitfield's "assets" in the least bit, LOL. Stephen Baldwin, Tiny Lister, and the little guy with the glasses were all really funny. Billy Zane was a great villain. Woody Strode's cameo and the footage from Once Upon A Time In The West were the greatest things about the movie. Even though it falls a bit short, I still applaud Mario for making a legitimate Black Western.................

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Sorry, but I thought this movie sucked, and I'm amazed more blacks weren't insulted by it. Mario Van Peebles was pretty good in it, but his character was the only black character in the movie smart enough to figure out the evil intentions of the big, bad white guy? Please.

This is one of those very few instances where Jesse Jackson could shoot his mouth off in protest and I'd be unable to justify telling him to shut the hell up.

Skvoznyak
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Amateur Critic, Unqualified Division
"Now having beer at a bar near you"

Better than Unforgiven? In the 19th century, there was a scene in this movie where cowboys used a battery powered electric brander to brand a cow. Also, they quoted Rodney King's "Why can't we all just get along?". Not to mention the Rap Soundtrack. Does that sound like a Western to you?

Only just watched this! Better late then never I guess though! A good solid movie I thought, well worth a watch.

Yeah I've always had a grudging appreciation for this one. It's WAY over-stylized to the point of being parodic, but I like how some of the characters were handled and the surrealist nature of the production brings to mind some of the more outlandish Spaghetti Westerns from Italy & Spain.

Then again that was the point, and if there's any real criticism for the film it's that it is a bit too derivative. But they again all Westerns are essentially derived from the same three or four cultural sources, I kind of like how this one went for a soul-smackdown fest and gave parts to lots of blaxploitation era actors who essentially made the same films 20 years before it was released.

This is clearly an underrated film!

I think that Mario Van Peeples movie Posse is a very important film. It is an excellent entry point film to a side of history many are not aware of. This is a story of early black settlers, cow boys and infantrymen returning from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. The main character Peeples is haunted by memories of his murdered father. The racism applied to the new black settlers and infrantryman is explored in this film with exellent casting including Melvin Van Peebles (Marios father), Billy Zane, Blair Underwood, Stephen Baldwin and a wonderful performance by Big Daddy Kane.

One senses that Peeples strived to use as many notable black actors as possible : ) Perhaps too many, some notable persons (Issac Hayes, Pamela Grier) are only scene in cameo, others breifly such as Tone Loc. The sentiment and efforts of Peeples efforts to expose these actors will be understood by some. Of course most noteworthy was the wonderful narrative role of veteran actor Woody Strode, who's own life was a barrier-breaker, within the context of a previous era not yet completed faded from memory. No other actor could have done this role better.

Read the mini-bio on Woody Strode here as a primer:
http://imdb.com/name/nm0834754/bio

The film does and excellent job of balancing action with a bit of sardonic humour. The dialogue was excellent if a bit contemporary! And as others have mentioned the profanity was not accurate to that period. The sex scene was a bit much -- not really needed. This film, while not a commercial success per se opens the door for more historical and creative works reflective of other untold stories and events. The actual photos of real cowboys at the end credits was very nice touch.

POSSE is a not a bad film, it's quite watchable, it's just very uneven.

Some good acting (Woody Strode), some over-acting (Richard Jordon's racist sheriff) and some bad acting.

Some scenes are overstylized, such as the tilted angle shots of Freetown's saloon. And the sex scene was largely unnecessary (as most movie sex scenes are), but I can't blame Mario for wanting to perform one with Vesta.

Some nice homages to classic westerns (Father Time's watch), but others fall a bit flat. Mario's Jesse Lee is too much a take off of Clint Eastwood grim characters.

Dialouge needed some tweaking, there's a lot of it that's too late 20th century. Part of the Posse drinking game should be "every time someone says 'black ass' take a drink."

Like almost all westerns, anachronisms abound. And director Van Peebles wants both an action film and a historical commentary...and I'm not sure he ever finds the right balance. There's the end commentary on black cowboys, when techincally none of the characters are actual cowboys, you've got a bookish army clerk, a gambler, a preacher's son turned soldier, etc.

As for comparing it to UNFORGIVEN. Who gives a $#%t? I'm as tired of that as I am of everyone comparing every past and present war movies to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

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