Bass Reeves

Yes, I gave it a ten. I gave it a ten for heart. I gave it a ten because Ponderous Productions is one of the most thoughtful, courteous indie film production companies I've worked for. I gave it a ten because the story is good. I gave it a ten because I've watched so many SyFy channel films on Saturday that I can honestly say Bass Reeves outshines a lot of them. The story is factual and Brett did a lot of research before setting ink to paper.

Indie films these days can have enormous budgets and name actors and still be flops. Bass Reeves is not a flop. Keep in mind the extremely low budget, overlook the costumes and focus on the story and you'll enjoy Bass Reeves.

From the people that brought you the Innocence Saga and other films comes Bass Reeves. On par with much of his work, this film looks like a bunch of good friends got together and wanted to make a Western. And boy did they have fun making it. Peppered with a cast of San Antonio and central Texas actors this is the story of the first Black (or is it African American, I always get that confused) sheriff in the old west. What could have been a pretty solid story is, like many films at this level, trapped in its budgetary constraints. things like proper clothing, props, etc could have really kept this film up. What we do have is some good performance from cast, standing out is Mr. Villalobos as Martinez. Though very stereo-typical type of character we see range and a very nice moment of guitar playing/singing from him. Unfortunately this film unravels fast when it comes to the villains. Mr. Rainey as the bad guy just did not make me hate him nor did he bring up the villainy of what these films need. When the final confrontation happens the viewer is just left with "whatever, next!!" I don't know if Mauser will be doing another Western, but if he does lets hope the cast across the board is great and that someone tosses him some money cause I see a director is on the cusp of greatness given the right opportunity.

Brett William Mauser once again proves that an Independent Film Company can attempt and complete a full length film on a small budget. BRETT continues to tell his stories with creative writing and vision. Actors and actresses continue to bring their skills to yet another Brett William Mauser vision with continued loyalty to this very creative/ talented film maker. It is obvious that when Brett William Mauser has the right investors he will be on the same level as Robert Rodriquez or a Quentin Tarintino and will bring blockbusters to DVD and the big screen . Locations that were used in this film were satisfactory to give it that western setting. The costumes were adequate to let anyone know they are seeing a western. There was not a lot of fake blood that was refreshing for this western. The main stars put their heart and sole into their performance as the characters they portrayed. There seemed to be highs and lows in the tempo in the settings and characters behaviors that were very refreshing and kept the viewer interested. The music helped to guide the action along very well. The story was very well scripted as the writer revealed the feelings of the main character Bass Reeves and the other characters to help the viewer understand the times and persons in this time in American Western History. Edward Burlett

As opposed to the whiny, spoiled brats who want only Transformers, GI Joe, and HUGE budget films devoid of heart and message other than "OH, LOOK at the BIG explosions and big boobs", I can see the true beauty and merit in this production. It is a low budget film, but the story is important, the actors are sincere, and we can see a vision of a man fighting for what he believes is right. The fact that this man is black is unimportant to the message, but important to the genre. When has anyone other than Mel Brooks shown a Western with a main character who is black? A man who ACTUALLY tore his shackles and went on to greatness...a man surging forward against prejudice, hatred, and bigotry in a time when his skin color relegated him to life as a second class citizen. Ponderous' film may lack a huge budget, but it does not lack in honesty, heart, and the ability to tell a story that has been FAR TOO LONG relegated to the same second class status as it's main character. This was a story that needed to be told, and apparently Ponderous was the only one with the courage to tell it. Bravo...and please tell us more.

This movie is one of the worst I have seen. Not the worst, but in the list for top 25. The acting is bad, the lighting is bad, and the dialog goes on forever. The wardrobe of the actors looks like it might have been bought at Walmart. Have these people never even seen a western? Actually I think these are the same people who made the short,'OK'. That was not bad except for some of the casting. This one has some of the same actors and I use the term loosely. The whole production appears to be 'let's get together and make a home movie and let's make it a western'. I understand there was actually a real Bass Reeves. I don't know how factual this film is, it may follow historical fact pretty well and if that is so, maybe this film has a slight redeeming quality, I'll leave that to the historians. As entertainment, it is definitely below par.