Arkansas, 1875, After shooting 5 men to save a judge and then going into Indian Territory after a lethal outlaw, Bass Reeves becomes the first black deputy marshal west of Mississippi.
“Hell on the Border” tells the true story of Bass Reeves, the first black man to become a deputy U.S. Marshal in the late 1800s and while the intention is honorable, the final result is a muddled affair. Reeves is played by David Gyasi who has little to do throughout other than keep his head bowed down so that he can raise it dramatically, à la Clint Eastwood, when the scene calls for it. This is not Mr. Gyasi’s fault, rather, that blame falls on director Wes Miller. The acting, overall, is poor, even with big-screen heavyweights Ron Perlman and Frank Grillo attached.
The movie tells the story about how Bass Reeves became the first-ever black deputy U.S. Marshal, much to the chagrin of the townsfolk who balked at the idea. He was given his title by federal Judge Isaac Parker (Manu Intiraymi) who was impressed with his shooting skills after Reeves saved him from being killed by a band of outlaws. When Reeves is tasked with tracking down and capturing a convicted murderer, Bob Dozier (Frank Grillo), and returning him, dead or alive, none of the other deputies or even the town’s sheriff are willing to ride with a black man. When Charlie Storm (Ron Perlman), who was arrested for shooting another man dead in self-defense, agrees to go with him, on the condition that his record is expunged once the task is done, Parker reluctantly agrees and the two men ride off together to bring Dozier back.
The movie adds nothing new to Reeves’ story other than telling us that he was the first black man to receive his title, outside of that, the film is mundane and filled with unoriginal plotlines and a bevy of cliché-ridden characters, especially Dozier and his gang. The few shootouts we are privy to are unimaginative and the fight scenes are choreographed like a bad high school play. Ron Perlman and Frank Grillo, who serves as a producer, initially bring some much-needed gravitas to the story but their personas and character arcs quickly fade into the insipid background, along with the script and pretty much everything else.
Had the filmmakers concentrated on telling Reeves’ life story instead of trying to combine it with that of a badly-constructed western, the finished product might have fared much better. Director Wes Miller seems incapable of establishing a coherent story as characters and narrative fall by the wayside in favor of wretched shootouts and disastrous action. Maybe one day Hollywood will tell the real story of Bass Reeves but until then, keep holding out hope and avoid, at all costs, this poorly-rendered iteration.
Now available on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and Digital from Lionsgate
