What are you doing?
Rising from slave to law enforcement role as the first black US Marshal west of the Mississippi: Bass Reeves. Although he made more than 3,000 arrests during his career, the weight of the sheriff’s badge proved heavy, and throughout his life he had to carry the moral and spiritual significance it meant to his beloved family.
who is he with
Bas Reeves is played by David Oyelowo. The British actor has already portrayed another important figure of African-American culture, Martin Luther King, in the movie “Selma”. The 47-year-old actor is also known to the public for his roles in The Butler and Interstellar.
American actor Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant) was chosen to play Billy Crowe, a particularly polished young Cherokee man, and Jennie Reeves – Bass’s wife – Lorraine E. Branks.
Several “faces” from film and television appear in the series. Notable stars include Shea Whigham as Colonel George Reeves, Dennis Quaid as Deputy Sheriff Sheryl Lynn and Donald Sutherland. “The Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker.
Is it worth checking out?
Taylor Sheridan’s name appearing in the credits as a producer may indicate that this series was created as another prequel to Yellowstone. But no, Lawmen: The Bas Reeves story has nothing to do with Kevin Costner’s contemporary Western, which will air its final episode in late 2024.
This miniseries, based on the true story of Bass Reeves, the first African-American sheriff, is the first season of an anthology series dedicated to the Wild West’s most legendary lawmen. The identity of the characters expected in future seasons is not yet known, as the program has not yet been renewed.
In France, the story of Bass Reeves is certainly less well known than in the United States. This former slave turned deputy sheriff has over 3,000 arrests. His knowledge of Indian territories and mastery of several languages made him a man of the law particularly effective.
legend of the west
This aspect of the character also inspired the famous Lone Ranger, the hero of the famous Western TV series. Delroy Lindo has played multiple incarnations of Bass Reeves in film and television in The Harder They Fall, a Netflix western featuring a predominantly African-American cast.
The main quality of this first season of Lawmen is David Oyelowo’s interpretation. In all his vigilance, the British actor delivers an absolutely flawless performance. The view that he brings to the society of the time with his character gives even more power and resonance to the theme of the series.
Despite all the horrors in his past, Bas Reeves is portrayed in the series as a righteous and honorable man. The latter does not shy away from defending Indians when they are the targets of racism, nor white men (with the risks that entails) when their comments are intolerable.
In every sense of the word vigilante, the story of Bass Reeves really deserved to be told in a series, and let’s hope that the broadcast of the show will further reflect the legend of this iconic character.
It is an interesting but anecdotal series
While the series serves up beautiful photography and magnificent natural surroundings, the series unfortunately relies on an overly conventional script and flat dialogues that are mostly fake. Because of this writing problem, do many plays turn into histrionics?
A few actors, notably Dennis Quaid in Episode 2, force the Western accent and mechanical inflection to the point of caricature. Give an actor a hat and a gun, and the temptation to play the cowboy often takes precedence over the interpretation of the character…
We don’t necessarily have a bad time watching this series, and its biggest success will certainly be making us want to know more about the Bas Reeves story. As a Western, the program is quite successful, but also quite anecdotal.
The Lawmen: The Bass Reeves Story series is available exclusively on Paramount+.
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Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
