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:

Frank Grillo, Ron Perlman, Zahn McClarnon

Cast

Credited cast:
Frank Grillo	...	Bob Dozier
Ron Perlman	...	Charlie Storm
Zahn McClarnon	...	Sam Sixkiller
Rudy Youngblood	...	Rufus Buck / John Whittington
David Gyasi	...	Bass Reeves
Marshall R. Teague	...	Senator Smith
Manu Intiraymi	...	Issac Parker
Randy Wayne	...	Irish Jack
John Flanagan	...	Townsman
Ashley Atwood	...	Jessie Winston
Jaqueline Fleming	...	Nellie
Ryan Francis	...	Carrier
Michael Aaron Milligan	...	Jim Bruce
James H Keating	...	Dozier Guard
Chris Mullinax	...	Marshall Franks

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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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bass Reeves was the true Lone Ranger.

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Goofs

As Bass carries Ron Perlman out of the mud pool and hand can be seen feeding the horse to keep it standing still in the mud.

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Soundtracks

Gonna Make A Change
Written by Savannah Lathem
Performed by Savannah Lathem
Arranged by Sid De La Cruz

User Reviews

Fabulous idea, poorly executed.

I love a movie that tries to tell us a truth. Something that history has forgotten. Such as the "African American Cowboy", or the "black cowboy". As the beginning text noted the subject is avoided in history and it's rare in all medias of entertainment. (Though let's not forget Django Unchained.) Hell on the Border is based on a true story and a fascinating one at that.

I have to give props to all the actors involved. They did a great job. My hats off to them for desperately trying to save this movie. Bravo.

Because this is not what I would call a B-grade movie. No. No. B-grade movies are waaaaaay better. The script meanders too much and is dragged out to accommodate huge musical pieces that were clearly made for this movie. Yes, the songs were beautiful. Sadly I think more care and attention went into the songs and drawing out already boring scenes to the point of tears. ^_-

The movie could have been snipped and cut in many places and shortened. Oddly enough the editing and piecing together of fight scenes and shoot outs . . . I have no proper words. I can't imagine anyone working on this film thought "yeah, that looks good". It was so jarring that I can't believe they simply didn't hire a student of film to fix it needing credits for college. Or use basic tricks of the trade to make the action scenes flow better. Anything! It felt like someone on Youtube poking fun at independent films. It was funny to laugh at until you realized someone thought this was acceptable.

Hell on the Border tries too hard to be another western. Despite that it's trying to tell us something unique. To be unique. This sadly is not the worst western I've seen. It's a bit odd but since 2017 there's been a resurgence of crap westerns being made. Hell on the Border falls into that category despite the actors best efforts. Moments where you can tell the actors are absolutely enjoying themselves were fun! Sadly the script and crap editing of the movie kills any potential the film had.

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