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My review was written in May 1989 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

On the heels of "Mississippi Burning" comes "Riverbend", an entertaining though outlandish fantasy about race relations set in Georgia in 1966. Pic has a chance of breaking through from its target black audience to wider acceptance.

Producer Sam Vance's quirky screenplay relies on a deus ex machina that is akin to time travel, Into the sleepy town of Riverbend, Georgia, is injected a set of three black soldiers, headed by Steve James, who have escaped from military police while headed towards a court martial for failing to follow orders in Vietnam.

The black townsfolk are being persecuted (and murdered at will) by the evil white sheriff (Tony Frank). James hits upon the scheme of using his military expertise to train the locals ("Magnificent Seven" style) to take over the town, imprison the white folks and thereby focus statewide media attention on the hotspot in order to air his beef with the army.

Almost overwhelmed by too many twists and climaxes in the later reels, "Riverbend" works due to the inherently interesting switcheroo of its wish-fulfillment premise and James' solid central performance. Muscular thesp has apperare as sidekick in several Cannon features made by helmer Sam Firstenberg, but gets the opportunity here to dominate the proceedings. His low-key, authoritative delivery, very modern styling and martial arts abilities give the 1966 tale a 1989 perspective.

Almost stealing the show is arch-villain Tony Frank, whose rubbery face and ample girth launch a definitive portrayal of the hissable Southern sheriff.

Margaret Avery provides the film's emotional center as a widow who befriends James. Julius Tennon scores as James' mutinous aide who almost diverts the good guys into an understandable revenge mode.

Texas-lensed production is modestly mounted but includes some effective imagery, notably the final confrontation when black and white throngs stream into the town square, separated at first by an invisible (but palpable) barrier before becoming reconciled.