Surrounded

I was pleasantly surprised with 'Surrounded' since I expected the same hackneyed cliches which, yes, were there, but modified into a watchable movie. The director did an amazing job of balancing those very cliches into well portrayed performances by one and all. There were interesting character studies which included both the protagonist and 'the bad guy'. Is anyone all good or all bad? Depending on the circumstances, are we all capable of sliding between those two moral opposites? The cinematography was well done and landscape scenes downright beautiful. If you are willing to watch a western that not only has the gunfights but asks you to explore the motivations behind the action, give 'Surrounded' a try.

I'm writing this given the limited number of reviews, obviously skewed by those likely associated with the film writing gross exaggerations (worthy of awards etc.) and 1 viewer whose written essentially the same review with a 1 rating three times.

Cinematography is very good, plot has a few good twists that keep up the suspense. For me there were 3 glaring times that essentially "speeches" were awkwardly worked into the dialogue on race, feminism, etc. That really disrupted the continuity and credibility.

On the credibility front the slight female lead proceeds to kill about a dozen men, claims to have been the best soldier in the Union army during the civil war (a war in which physical strength mattered) and at the end chooses to violate the very values she refused to compromise for the entire movie despite great risk and pressure.

It's a mixed bag from my perspective but an interesting watch for a number of reasons.

No pun intended - and obviously our main character is not alone in the classical sense. There always is at least another person in close proximity. Not that she is happy for anyone being near her ... but that is a different story. Actually it is the same story - and something that plays out quite nicely towards the end.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I am a bit of a sucker when it comes to western movies or the genre in general. I really like them - and I also have been accused of rating too good. So I reckon you have to take this into account. But I really liked the female lead here (you may know her from Black Panther or some other stuff she has done over the years), but also the other actors. This may be the last movie Michael K. Williams appeared in - he will be missed.

Good suspense, good shootouts - what more can you want and need? Story is well told too of course.

I found this enjoyable, it shows the harsh reality of the West, racism in a post-Civil War world and the moral ambiguity of people trying to survive on the frontier. If top reviewer thinks people didn't have conversation along those lines they're wrong. This is rw brain rot setting in. Cinematography was good, a few beautiful shots of the American wilderness, action scenes decent though I don't place particular stock in that. I would have liked to see a bit more with the Comanche (and with subs). It kept me entertained and it was suspenseful enough to not get distracted with movies w/this score. I'd watch something similar again and it's better than a 5.6. Women fought in the Civil War as men. Fact. Deal with it. Triggered rw snowflakes get upset at the mere sight of woman or black person in movies now and downvote things with their Cheeto-encrusted fingers. Fact...and it's ruined ratings. Your place is slowly slipping and I laugh.

Surrounded is a refreshing new Western story that steamrolls the viewer from beginning to end. Letitia Wright is the Lead here and she showcases to the world why she is Lead actress in the business. Letitia has a lot of range and is not just good in Marvel Superhero films. She has been great before Marvel films and has been great after. Surrounded is very gritty and realistic with it's violence/action. There were a couple of times I had to look away because of how real things looked when the bodies started stacking up. The late great Michael K. Williams also pops up in a brief but strong cameo. If you enjoy well acted Westerns then you will enjoy this one. My only con is I wish the villains could have been casted differently. Other then that everything was top notch. Surrounded gets a strong 8 stars out of 10 from me.