With: Mario Van Peebles, Whoopi Goldberg, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward James Olmos, John Carroll Lynch, William Mapother, M. Emmet Walsh, Cam Gigandet, Allen Payne, Neal McDonough, Mandela Van Peebles, D.C. Young Fly, Amber Reign Smith, Jake Manley, Joseph Culp, Brian Presley, Sean Bridgers
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Written by: Mario Van Peebles
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Directed by: Mario Van Peebles
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MPAA Rating: R for violent content, language and brief partial nudity
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Running Time: 108
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Date: 03/01/2024
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Reparation Dogs
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Mario Van Peebles's Western Outlaw Posse is, frankly, all over the place, but it has a spirited, scrappy B movie energy and a host of familiar faces seemingly having fun in their small and supporting roles.
It's 1908 and Chief (Mario Van Peebles) returns after years of lying low with the intent of finding a stash of hidden gold, meant as reparations for ex-slaves. Chief goes about assembling his team: Southpaw (Jake Manley), Carson (John Carroll Lynch), Spooky (D.C. Young Fly), and Queenie (Amber Reign Smith), the nightclub singing, knife-throwing daughter of a fallen comrade who insists on coming along.
Unfortunately, Chief's old partner Angel (William Mapother) also wants the gold, as well as revenge for the loss of his hand, for which he blames Chief. Angel kidnap's the wife of Chief's estranged son, Decker (Mandela Van Peebles), forcing Decker to join his father's gang in order to rescue his wife. It won't be long before the old rivals Chief and Angel face off in a final showdown.
Outlaw Posse's opening scene alone is a doozy, with three cowpokes (Neal McDonough, Cam Gigandet, and M. Emmet Walsh) arriving in a small town; an act of racism introduces them to Chief, in a way that they come to regret. That scene doesn't seem attached to the rest of the movie at all, but it sets a tone that it manages to keep.
Indeed, it feels as if writer/director Van Peebles tried to squeeze everything he could think of into the movie, but somehow it all shakes out. He's an old pro. (This is Van Peebles's second Western, after Posse, released in 1993 and unconnected to this movie.)
Plenty of dialogue is devoted to progressive viewpoints and commentary about the history of racism in America. Whoopi Goldberg plays the real-life Stagecoach Mary, the first Black female postal carrier, who says she prefers the company of women. Spooky identifies as gay; D.C. Young Fly, first seen performing a minstrel magic show, has a grand old time in the role. And Amber Reign Smith, as Queenie, is a strong Black woman who knows what she wants.
Plus, if a movie is only as good as its villain, then William Mapother's "Angel" is a very good one, smart and cultured, but vicious and a bit creepy. In short, Outlaw Posse doesn't have much that's new in terms of story, but it offers plenty of other small pleasures.
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