Starring: David Oyelowo, Barry Pepper, Lauren E. Banks, Forrest Goodluck, Dennis Quaid

Director: Christina Alexandra Voros, Damian Marcano
Released: 2023

Mood: If you love heavy action-dramas like Hostiles or The Outlaw Josey Wales and are craving a new story that has that same anti-hero vibe centred around a historic icon.

Few people could be more deserving of the Taylor Sheridan big-budget treatment for their life story than real-life lawman Bass Reeves.

Fun Facts #1-6:

• He was one of the first Black deputy US Marshals west of the Mississippi
• He made 3,000+ arrests during his career
• He spoke at least five Indigenous languages
• He was an expert tracker and a marksman with both rifles and pistols
• He was never once wounded in all that time (even though this show gives him a few)
• HE HAD AN AMAZING MOUSTACHE

Lawmen: Bass Reeves brings the huge production quality to a mostly historically accurate miniseries about Reeves’s adventures.

This show is everything I hoped it would be. If the series ever gets renewed and continues its mission to focus on other fascinating lawmen of the Old West, I’ll be there with guns blazing.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves begins when enslaved man Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) was serving in the Confederate States Army. Bass had to go because his owner, George Reeves, had enlisted. Right away there’s a violent skirmish with TONS of bloody action.

Everyone is being slaughtered. George orders Bass to follow him galloping into the fire. Other soldiers try to run away and are shot by the leaders. Bass’s ‘wolf’ personality is commended by Esau Pierce (Barry Pepper), leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Bass denies any bravery and says he’d just rather be shot in the face than the back.

George tries to cheat Bass out of his freedom over a poker game, and Bass beats the crap out of him. Bass’s wife, Jennie (Lauren E. Banks), urges him to flee and never come back. Bass walks barefoot from Arkansas to the Seminole Nation, where he’s taken in and finds work and family. But Esau appears and wreaks havoc on Bass’s new life. Once again, he has to leave.

Bass reunites with Jennie, who introduces him to his first daughter, and soon another baby is on the way. He tries to be a farmer but fails for many, many years. They have more kids and need money, so he takes a gig with marshal Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) tracking down a Native outlaw.

This leads to Bass being sought out for his reputable skills with language and guns, and he gets another offer that he can’t refuse. Judge Parker (Donald Sutherland) appoints him a deputy US Marshal.

The remaining six episodes feature multiple fictional manhunts where Bass has to chase down criminals, mentors criminal-turned-hero Billy Crow (Forrest Goodluck), and struggles with his moral code. Meanwhile his family grows increasingly distant from the absent father figure.

There’s a lot of drama and slow scenes, but damn. There’s SO MUCH ACTION. And it’s realistic, not gratuitous.

You’re never bored. Every episode is entertaining from start to finish. Sure, a couple of times I was like, do I need to follow the teenage daughter and her love interest when this is a story about a lawman? But those scenes are brief, have great acting, and contribute to the overall plot.

David Oyelowo is phenomenal as Bass Reeves. He spent nearly a decade researching the real lawman (read or listen to his NPR interview!) and learned to both ride and shoot before he stepped into the character. And it shows.

He’s stoic. He’s capable. He’s flawed. He intentionally alters his accent to suit situations where his character is being more dominant or submissive. It’s everything you want in a Western hero, and an actor.

Barry Pepper as Esau is a solid villain. Even though his presence is minimal in most episodes, you still feel it lingering once he’s been introduced, and it reaches crazy physical levels in the finale. He’s one of those villains who shows his depravity in early scenes where you don’t know who he is for context. Then he seems like an ally, and then turns so hard that you need a chiropractor.

Forrest Goodluck is SO GOOD as Billy Crow that I can mostly forgive that it’s a made-up character when there were a wealth of real historic characters to pull from. Goodluck radiates relatability, has great physical comedy and action, and he brings a sweet naivety that balances Oyelowo.

Dennis Quaid is an enjoyable mix of loyal and deplorable. He gives Sherrill Lynn a dark crustiness that perfectly suits the character and show. Lauren E. Banks is strong as Jennie Reeves. And Tosin Morohunfola as Jackson ‘Jackrabbit’ Cole is only in three episodes, but is every bit as memorable as the leads, portraying an accused murderer who also delivered justice, just in the opposite way of Bass.

And this was Donald Sutherland’s final screen appearance, as Judge Parker – another gold star on Sutherland’s esteemed track record and film legacy.

• Fun Fact #7: Judge Parker was a real judge who was also featured in both versions of True Grit, played by James Westerfield and Jake Walker.

Honestly, everyone makes an impression. Even the young actors, especially Demi Singleton as Sally Reeves.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves has all of the polish and effect that we expect from Sheridan’s universe, but it doesn’t detract from the character-driven storytelling.

The flawless lighting and camerawork are obviously great for action sequences, but they do some powerful lifting in close-up scenes, like when Bass is trapped in the quiet, insanely tense poker game with his master. There’s also a quick shot of Billy in episode 8, when someone is audibly being beaten in the background, and Billy is framed by pale purple flowers and the shot communicates his inner turmoil and disgust. So good.

There are some huge plot leaps and gaps that get in the way and take you out, if you notice, which I did. Like Billy Crow goes from being arrested to already Bass’s apprentice, with no story in the middle to explain how Billy escaped prison. Stolen money that seems like a major plot point is never mentioned again. There’s a big altercation between some white kids and Sally and her boyfriend, but that also disappears.

But were you not entertained?! I was. I would watch this show many more times.