Hell on the Border (2019)

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.

Director:

Wes Miller

Writer:

Wes Miller

Stars:

David Gyasi, Ron Perlman, Frank Grillo

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Gyasi	...	Bass Reeves
Ron Perlman	...	Charlie Storm
Frank Grillo	...	Bob Dozier
Manu Intiraymi	...	Judge Parker
Chris Mullinax	...	Marshall Franks
Ashley Atwood	...	Jessie Winston
Gianni Capaldi	...	Tom Pinkerton
Jaqueline Fleming	...	Nellie
Michael Aaron Milligan	...	Jim Bruce (as Michael Milligan)
Randy Wayne	...	Irish Jack
Marshall R. Teague	...	Senator Smith (as Marshall Teague)
Zahn McClarnon	...	Sam Sixkiller
Curtis Nichouls	...	Pap
David William Arnott	...	President Grant (as David Arnott)
John D. Hickman	...	Attendant

Storyline

A movie based on the true life story of Bass Reeves, a legendary tough African American cowboy in the Wild West. Bass Reeves was the first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. He worked mostly in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory. During his long career, he was credited with arresting more than 3,000 felons. He shot and killed 14 outlaws in self-defense

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Plot Keywords:

shooting | shooting a gun into the air | n word | fort smith arkansas | public execution | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some have postulated that Bass Reeves was an inspiration for The Lone Ranger, the fictional (white) hero who was first created in the 1930s for a long-running radio serial and who continued via popular TV shows, movies, and comic books. This notion was largely promulgated by a single historian, Art T. Burton; in his Reeves biography "Black Gun, Silver Star," Burton wrote, "Bass Reeves is the closest real person to resemble the Lone Ranger" and listed a number of similarities between the real-life Reeves and the Lone Ranger character. However, many other historians have since argued that the similarities between them are too generalized and circumstantial to authoritatively state that the Lone Ranger was definitively based on Reeves. For example, a 2019 Texas Monthly article by Sean O'Neal says that Burton's argument rested on only a few similarities, but "it remains pure speculation; there's never been any conclusive evidence linking the two." O'Neal also argued that the insistence on a possibly spurious folk linkage between Reeves and Bass also serves to "eclipse" Reeves's real-life accomplishments "by the tall tales of an imaginary white man."

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Goofs

Almost all hats used in the movie are modern design. In several shots you can see the tag inside of Ron Perlman's hat.

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Soundtracks

Gonna Make A Change
Written by Savannah Lathem
Performed by Savannah Lathem
Arranged by Savannah Lathem

User Reviews

Lame amateurish production unworthy of the true story

Where to start with the issues? Buildings with beautifully fresh and smoothly sawn walls, houses with aluminium roofs, six shooters that didn't need reloading, disjointed action sequences moving at glacial speeds...... Camerawork was crude, used jerkiness and lens flare etc to no benefit. One of the worst films I've seen in the last year, this was inconsistent, uneven, unrealistic and frankly has nothing to commend it except that it chose a story that should be told. Avoid.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hell on the Border

Filming Locations:

Bessemer, Alabama, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sweet Unknown Studios, Future Proof Films, Wing and a Prayer Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Color