Bass Reeves

Reviews that cast stones in anonymity can usually be discounted for whatever personal bias they have with the production company.

Personally I think it was a pretty good movie for the extreme low budget it was made on. I think Craig and House did a fantastic job acting the roles. It was entertaining and even more so being based on an actually historical character. I think the natural lighting from the fire and sunsets where quite nice and didn't over do it so the viewer wasn't sitting there wondering how this person is perfectly lit at night time by a fire.

Now of course true independent film cannot be compared to Hollywood $300 million dollar budget films. So to be fair you compare with similarly budgeted films of its class. Which is what I do with all independent films.....judge based on its merit.

It pulled off a good entertaining film, with a few areas that need improving, but over all a great film experience.

Most reviews I ignore all together because they are usually based on a persons likes and dislikes which may be no where near my taste. Just read the synopsis and if it sounds interesting try it out. If you don't like it move on ....if you do.. well its always nice to find gems among the back alleys of the film industry.

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.

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

Ponderous Productions did an excellent job exploring a part of American history which unfortunately has been glossed over. The movie isn't so much a history lesson as it is an introspective into an individuals' personal narrative. It was a story that I was unfamiliar with and am grateful to get the insight into such an influential and interesting individual.

This movie isn't about the technical aspects or about throwing money at a subject to do it 'justice'. This movie is about telling the story of a true American hero. This movie is about finding a diamond uncut, and slicing away the excess to tell a tight story.

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.