From the people that brought you the Innocence Saga and other films comes Bass Reeves. On par with much of his work, this film looks like a bunch of good friends got together and wanted to make a Western. And boy did they have fun making it. Peppered with a cast of San Antonio and central Texas actors this is the story of the first Black (or is it African American, I always get that confused) sheriff in the old west. What could have been a pretty solid story is, like many films at this level, trapped in its budgetary constraints. things like proper clothing, props, etc could have really kept this film up. What we do have is some good performance from cast, standing out is Mr. Villalobos as Martinez. Though very stereo-typical type of character we see range and a very nice moment of guitar playing/singing from him. Unfortunately this film unravels fast when it comes to the villains. Mr. Rainey as the bad guy just did not make me hate him nor did he bring up the villainy of what these films need. When the final confrontation happens the viewer is just left with "whatever, next!!" I don't know if Mauser will be doing another Western, but if he does lets hope the cast across the board is great and that someone tosses him some money cause I see a director is on the cusp of greatness given the right opportunity.
Review of Bass Reeves
