THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME is a 2024 western directed by Paul G. Volk and written by John A. Russo and James O'Brien. The film tells the story of the infamous Rufus Buck Gang who waged a campaign of violence from 30 July 1895 to 4 August 1896. Their crime spree spread across the Indian territory of the Arkansas-Oklahoma area. Their crimes included robbery, rape and murder. The young men who composed the gang were Creek Indian and African-American. While their activities appeared brutal and warrantless, there was a socio-political undercurrent that still resonates today.
The film opens with sunlight beaming through the bars of a jail cell. Young Rufus Buck (Charlie Townsend) awaits his own hanging. In this brief scene, it is made clear that Rufus isn't just another villain with a short temper. His countenance is mindful and his lamentations ring true, "Things look a lot more beautiful when you know it's the last time you're gonna see 'em."
Danny Trejo is then introduced as the Gravedigger, who serves as the film's narrator. Who he is and how he knows intimate details of the gang is never explained, adding a sense of grim whimsy to the proceedings. And while the Grave Digger illuminates the Rufus Buck story, he is decidedly vague about his own identity, "Digging graves is what I do. I like to think it doesn't define me. But it does."
The Rufus Buck Gang is a motley crew of cheerful rogues - the Lewis brothers, Sam Sampson, Maoma July and, later, Buck's cousin, Charles. They follow their charismatic leader without hesitation. They act as a single, decisive entity. Their presence is, at once, terrifying and genuine; the camaraderie is addictive. A tense introduction of the Rufus Buck Gang establishes an ominous tone for what is to come as they steal a horse from a local farmer (Brian Austin Greene) and his son. Rufus reveals himself to be a bleak visionary when he recounts how God punished the wicked with a great flood in the Book of Genesis. He concludes the sermon with a gloomy forewarning: "There just might need to be another flood."
It is revealed that, like so many Native children at that time, Rufus and his friends were inducted, against their will, by a Missionary School, where they were subjected to what one character calls, "Death by civilization." And that is the fuel that burns a vengeful fire inside Rufus. He is driven by ambitions to raise an army and push the whites back to Europe. His confidence is unapologetic as he declares, "Let 'em spread the word of the Rufus Buck Gang!"
In pursuit of the gang are a mismatched duo of historical lawmen, Deputy Marshall Heck Thomas (Tim Abell) and Marshall Paden Tolbert (Tommy Wolfe). They are commissioned by Cherokee High Sheriff Sam Sixkiller to bring the gang to justice, and to stave off any lynching. They form a sort of buddy-cop dynamic that adds to the fun.
While the low-budget production is competent and nuanced - a hangman's living room is decorated with empty nooses. The acting is convincing with authentic performances by Abell and Trejo. But it is the young actors playing the Rufus Buck Gang who steal the show. Phillip Andre Botello, as real life gang member Lucky Lewis, delivers a character that is at once charming and chilling. And in a tour de force performance, Charlie Townsend commands every scene he is in, somehow making Rufus Buck - an unrepentant rapist and murderer - not only sympathetic, but a bit joyful! His men are loyal to him - one gang member even volunteers to be used as a decoy so the others can escape, inspiring Rufus to spout my own favorite line, "I tip my hat the Rufus Buck Gang!" The script by Russo and O'Brien is packed with terrific wordplay. Trejo practically sings his dialogue, spouting lines like: "Justice may be blind, but she's a cold ass bitch to the man in chains."
Paul G. Volk helms the film with bold strokes, balancing the gang's breezy attitude with their penchant for sudden, relentless violence. Volk casually asks the audience to embrace these killers despite their horrific faults in order that we may understand them. In the film's most harrowing scene, the gang nonchalantly draws cards to see who gets to rape a pioneer woman first. Volk challenges the audience to contemplate, not the vile act itself, but the reason behind it. Rufus and his men are convinced that "there is nothing innocent when it comes to whites." And Volk neither indulges in the cruelty nor condemns it; rather he simply asks us to look beyond the inhumanity and see the emotional motives for such heinous acts. The actions of Rufus Buck, though awful and malignant, are capitulated in one of his most compelling sentiments, delivered from behind bars to his white captors: "I hate y'all for not allowing this world to be the way the Great Spirit intended it to be."
While the film sports a fair amount of action, this is not a cut-and-paste shoot-em-up; and though the budget is sparse, this is not a B-movie. THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME is a splendid drama and a compelling character piece. But most of all, it's a real western. I dare say it's a classic.
Closing with a haunting song by Rob Matthews called "Still I Try", the film invites introspection; and that is exactly what all the classic westerns do, from High Noon to Unforgiven. They cause us to consider our own morality and sense of compassion. And that is why I recommend THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME to anyone who loves a great story, and everyone hankering for a true western. Congratulations to the cast and crew! This is a terrific film worthy of celebration!
