La revanche de Jessie Lee

Visually stunning, extremely rich in detail, fast action sequences, innovative camera movements, and an historic interpretation of afro-americans settling in the west in the late 800's, this movie is highly unconventional. The more recent "Wild Wild West" has some similarities, "The Ballad of Cable Houge" comes to mind. Using comedy, fantasy, surrealism, the plot has a group of afro-americans traveling with a case of gold, chased by a posse. They join a settlement of afro-americans in the West, which while free by law, are reminded by the neighboring white towns that their liberty of action does not border out of their free town, and their law does not apply to white people. In a poignant scene, the only white man, who was in the original group of afro-americans with the case of gold, is brutally killed in public view by the white neighbors, almost to demonstrate that a white folk that joins the black folks has reached his lowest social status, lower that simply a black man, which by law cannot be killed without reason.

So a great concept, such great actors, and what do we get nada, zip, zippo, caput, no more, out the door, so long, good bye, mierda. This film has its good points but the script just did not go anywhere. Alot of the characters just went back and forth in their personalities, others just never really made a difference. Some talked like they were time travelers from the future (hint, hint Tone Loc). Others just wouldnt shut up (Weezie). One thing i just couldnt wrap my mind around was this if in the future the old man is holding a picture of the cast. How could that be possible if most of them died before they could all meet? Its like one of those time paradoxes that gives you a head ache. Not to mention the ending was a bit melodramatic to say the least. All in all i give Posse a "A" for effort but "F" on delivery.

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

Posse is a stylish but messy modern yet revisionist black western from actor/director Mario Van Peebles which does suffer from a flabby middle part.

Billy Zane relishes as the sadistic yet curiously camp Colonel Graham who sends some of his men on a mission to rob Spanish gold but intends to kill them all afterwards.

Some of these men are black including Jessie (Van Peebles) and they manage to escape but Graham and his gang are behind them. However Jessie has demons from the past and rides to a town to avenge the death of his preacher father which includes the nasty sheriff (Richard Jordan.)

The film is bold, brash, anachronistic as well as a history lesson on the impact of African Americans on the western genre which has been swept under the carpet of history.

Van Peebles is doing too much and loses focus on the narrative of this film hence why the middle sags before picking up again. Some of the acting is broad The script is uneven, its over directed but Van Peebles manages to still fire the film with enough mischief and helped out by his actors such as Blair Underwood, Woody Strode, Paul Bartel, Richard Jordan and Billy Zane.

"Posse" is a great movie!! It's basically something nobody has tried before: telling the tales of the first great black cowboys. Mario Van Peebles wears both hats as he works as both an actor and director for this film, about a black infantrymen named Jessie Lee leading his fellow troopers into battling white supremacists and his former commanding officer (played with slimy exception by Billy Zane). "Posse" has everything a good western should have: great gun-fights, cool performances (especially by Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, and Big Daddy Kane) and a triumphant ending.