Corsicana

Cinema is subjective but I'm not entirely convinced I saw the same movie that all these 9/10-star reviews saw.

I really wanted to like this film but it was simply a disappointment. Painful pacing, amateur acting, laughable writing, and distracting continuity errors are among the failures that kept pulling me out of the movie and left me shaking my head at the production team from beginning to end. The lone highlight for me was the cinematography where there seemed to be an effort to spotlight the landscape of Corsicana and capture it's beauty, but even then it was overplayed and drawn out as if they knew that was all they had going for it.

Washington's directorial debut fell flat in my opinion and we are left with a hollow, even if well-intentioned, attempt at telling the worthy story of Bass Reeves.

This show lacked the quality in writing, acting, and historical accuracy. It was nothing but a sorry attempt at right winged propaganda for actors who rightfully been off screen for years. Save some time and watch the actual Bass Reeves mini series instead of this sorry attempt. Isiah Washington, man I've been watching him since the early 2000's and I was rooting for a redemption but he truly has gone off the deep end with this. I'm a generational Texan who was looking forward to some true Texan heroics and was severely let down. To take such an iconic story line and butcher it so badly takes a lot of skill, not good skill but just skill in the worst of ways.

I have really wondered for years why someone hasn't done a great movie about Mr. Bass Reeves. Oh, there have been some movies made, but they have all been disappointments thus far. Add this one to that heap. I got excited by the reviews I read here and thought perhaps it would be a hidden gem, but no. In fact I would've given this a 4 star review for their effort but I felt I really needed to off set the false positives here. I feel Mr. Washington and the movie would've benefited from a seasoned director or at least better storyboarding before they began shooting. Oh, well. Fingers crossed for the new series.

The gratuitous brutality at the start of the movie makes it something that we cannot let children watch. However, if the introductory storyline had been depicted with more innuendo, it is a good movie to share with all family members. The story line was relevant. The satisfaction of retribution was fulfilling. The acting was plausible and generally appropriate in emotional depiction. The scenery was quite astute and beautiful. Jason Johnson's knife throwing ability was phenomenal. It is good to see a movie where actual ability outranks the obviousness of a gun. This movie depicts a "fight" versus "flight" outcome that is a fundamental tenet of how men and women protect civilization.

Finally a believable western that dares to stay away from the tropes of saloons and tumbleweeds. This film is beautiful on the big screen as Isaiah Washington brings a forgotten hero to life. It is refreshing to see a western detective story that concentrates on the journey and pays homage to the real life US Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. It's funny how the left hates conservative film makers. As the "Epoch Times" said, "First-time director Isaiah Washington's mesmerizing, mythical film is the best revisionist Western since Eastwood's "Unforgiven" from 1992. As of this writing, it is also my favorite movie of 2022." This is indeed a smart, "Thinking Mans" western. Well done and beautifully shot.