Posse (1993 film)
Encyclopedia
Posse is a 1993 American Western film
directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles
. Featuring a large ensemble cast
of mostly African-American actors, the film is about a posse of black soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The title of the film refers to a group of people who are summoned to help law enforcement officers. The story starts with the group escaping with a cache of gold, and continues with their leader Jesse Lee (Van Peebles) taking revenge on the men who killed his preacher father.
The story is presented as a flashback told by an unnamed Old Man (Woody Strode
), starts with a Cuban prologue during Spanish American War.
are fighting in the Spanish-American War
in 19th Century Cuba. As they are barely holding their own against constant attacks from enemy troops, Jesse Lee runs back to the command post of the corrupt and racist Colonel Graham (Billy Zane
) to request that the 10th Cavalry be allowed to pull back. Colonel Graham orders Lee to shoot a deserter in exchange for allowing the 10th to retreat. Unable to kill a man in cold blood, Jesse Lee demonstrates excellent marksmanship by shooting the man's cigar from his mouth. Colonel Graham then kills the deserter, and offers another prisoner called Little J (Stephen Baldwin
), Jesse Lee's command of the 10th (the alternative would be to face the firing squad). Graham then orders the 10th to fall back in order to begin another mission, one in which they will be required to wear civilian clothing, as opposed to their Cavalry uniforms. They've been ordered to rob a Spanish gold shipment, which is a setup to give the Colonel an excuse to execute the entire 10th Cavalry as deserters. As he meets them with his own cavalry force, his aide Wheezie causes a distraction, allowing the 10th to shoot the Colonel and his cavalry down. With Colonel Graham and his troops supposedly dead, the remnants of the 10th led by Jesse Lee travel to New Orleans where Little J meets a gambler named Father Time (Big Daddy Kane
) and they begin playing poker, at which point Time is caught cheating. Little J helps the gambler escape and they go back to the hotel room where the others are hiding at telling them "We were never here" in fear that the vengeful gamblers might come for them. Doing just as J feared, the gamblers come in search of him and Father Time, only to be shot in the back by none other than the late Colonel Graham and more US troops. Angel is killed in the firefight while Little J, Father Time and the others barely escape. They meet up with Jesse who had left earlier to finish some business in a town out West.
The newly formed Posse heads West with Colonel Graham on their heels every step of the way. They stop in a town in between where Jesse has ammunition custom made out of gold in order to kill the demons of his past, using one to kill the man who made the ammunition, as he was one of the men who had lynched Jesse's father years before. Father Time later explains that the Voodoo ladies in New Orleans believe that gold is the only way to kill a demon. They make their way to Freemanville, a town made up entirely of African-Americans. Carver's deputy goes to cutterstown, not wanting to tip anyone off they are working together, he wonders why he is there. He is there to inform Bates that Jessie Lee is in Freemanville. They stay awhile until the Sherrif of a nearby town, Bates, threatens the Carver, Sheriff of Freemanville that the town will burn unless Jesse Lee is turned over to him and his deputies. Sheriff Bates and several of his deputies were men that had lynched Jesse's father years before and were afraid that Jesse had come back for revenge. The sheriff and a few of his deputies attack the town that same night looking for Jesse Lee. One of the deputies beats Weezie in order to get answers. Little J watches and cannot handle the sight and fights back. Little J manages to make his way outside where more deputies are waiting, Little J gets taken down when he is attacked from the behind. Two of the sheriffs kick Little J around but when Bates joins the beating, a lot more of his men start beating Little J with their weapons. They beat Little J to death and take Papa Joe and Obobo as prisoners back to his own town where they'll get a "fair trial". Jesse poses as a Ku Klux Klan member and kills a deputy at the Sheriff's jail and rescues Papa Joe and Obobo.
When he returns he convinces the townspeople to fight the Sheriff by telling them he wants the land for himself to sell to the railroad when it comes through. The citizens of Freemanville fight the Sheriff the next day when he rides in. As they begin to gain the upper hand, Colonel Graham arrives with his cavalry and a Gatling gun which he uses to cut the people down. Jesse charges the gun with a stick of dynamite destroying the gun and killing some of Graham's troops.
Meanwhile the Sheriff of Freemanville, Carver, plans to run with the deeds to all of the property in Freemanville which is in his name but is stopped by Lana. Father Time shows up just in time to stop Sheriff Carver from hurting Lana. He kills one of Carver's deputies, but is killed by Carver. As Carver once again tries to flee, he is stopped by Sheriff Bates who reveals that they had a deal to split the proceeds from the land 50-50. Jesse arrives just in time to hear about the deal, and watches as Carver is betrayed and murdered by Bates. Jesse kills Bates in a showdown, finally putting his past demons to rest. Colonel Graham having captured Lana orders Jesse into the saloon where they have a climactic fight to the death resulting in Graham's death and the destruction of the saloon, which Graham had set ablaze with Lana still in it. Jesse, Obobo and Lana watch as the townspeople fight the fire.
The story ends years later with an old man being interviewed by reporters about the black cowboys of the west. The man, who was a young boy when he met Jesse Lee, gives the reporters a small book that Jesse had given him.
In the end, a caption goes on to tell that there had been over 8,000 black cowboys in the Old West whose stories had never been told due to omission by Hollywood and others alike.
. It grossed $18.2 million in the U.S. and Canadian domestic market, with US$8.555 million in rentals.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles
Mario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
. Featuring a large ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
of mostly African-American actors, the film is about a posse of black soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The title of the film refers to a group of people who are summoned to help law enforcement officers. The story starts with the group escaping with a cache of gold, and continues with their leader Jesse Lee (Van Peebles) taking revenge on the men who killed his preacher father.
The story is presented as a flashback told by an unnamed Old Man (Woody Strode
Woody Strode
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
), starts with a Cuban prologue during Spanish American War.
Plot
The story begins as the US Army 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers led by Jesse Lee (Mario Van PeeblesMario Van Peebles
Mario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
are fighting in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 19th Century Cuba. As they are barely holding their own against constant attacks from enemy troops, Jesse Lee runs back to the command post of the corrupt and racist Colonel Graham (Billy Zane
Billy Zane
William George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
) to request that the 10th Cavalry be allowed to pull back. Colonel Graham orders Lee to shoot a deserter in exchange for allowing the 10th to retreat. Unable to kill a man in cold blood, Jesse Lee demonstrates excellent marksmanship by shooting the man's cigar from his mouth. Colonel Graham then kills the deserter, and offers another prisoner called Little J (Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
), Jesse Lee's command of the 10th (the alternative would be to face the firing squad). Graham then orders the 10th to fall back in order to begin another mission, one in which they will be required to wear civilian clothing, as opposed to their Cavalry uniforms. They've been ordered to rob a Spanish gold shipment, which is a setup to give the Colonel an excuse to execute the entire 10th Cavalry as deserters. As he meets them with his own cavalry force, his aide Wheezie causes a distraction, allowing the 10th to shoot the Colonel and his cavalry down. With Colonel Graham and his troops supposedly dead, the remnants of the 10th led by Jesse Lee travel to New Orleans where Little J meets a gambler named Father Time (Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
) and they begin playing poker, at which point Time is caught cheating. Little J helps the gambler escape and they go back to the hotel room where the others are hiding at telling them "We were never here" in fear that the vengeful gamblers might come for them. Doing just as J feared, the gamblers come in search of him and Father Time, only to be shot in the back by none other than the late Colonel Graham and more US troops. Angel is killed in the firefight while Little J, Father Time and the others barely escape. They meet up with Jesse who had left earlier to finish some business in a town out West.
The newly formed Posse heads West with Colonel Graham on their heels every step of the way. They stop in a town in between where Jesse has ammunition custom made out of gold in order to kill the demons of his past, using one to kill the man who made the ammunition, as he was one of the men who had lynched Jesse's father years before. Father Time later explains that the Voodoo ladies in New Orleans believe that gold is the only way to kill a demon. They make their way to Freemanville, a town made up entirely of African-Americans. Carver's deputy goes to cutterstown, not wanting to tip anyone off they are working together, he wonders why he is there. He is there to inform Bates that Jessie Lee is in Freemanville. They stay awhile until the Sherrif of a nearby town, Bates, threatens the Carver, Sheriff of Freemanville that the town will burn unless Jesse Lee is turned over to him and his deputies. Sheriff Bates and several of his deputies were men that had lynched Jesse's father years before and were afraid that Jesse had come back for revenge. The sheriff and a few of his deputies attack the town that same night looking for Jesse Lee. One of the deputies beats Weezie in order to get answers. Little J watches and cannot handle the sight and fights back. Little J manages to make his way outside where more deputies are waiting, Little J gets taken down when he is attacked from the behind. Two of the sheriffs kick Little J around but when Bates joins the beating, a lot more of his men start beating Little J with their weapons. They beat Little J to death and take Papa Joe and Obobo as prisoners back to his own town where they'll get a "fair trial". Jesse poses as a Ku Klux Klan member and kills a deputy at the Sheriff's jail and rescues Papa Joe and Obobo.
When he returns he convinces the townspeople to fight the Sheriff by telling them he wants the land for himself to sell to the railroad when it comes through. The citizens of Freemanville fight the Sheriff the next day when he rides in. As they begin to gain the upper hand, Colonel Graham arrives with his cavalry and a Gatling gun which he uses to cut the people down. Jesse charges the gun with a stick of dynamite destroying the gun and killing some of Graham's troops.
Meanwhile the Sheriff of Freemanville, Carver, plans to run with the deeds to all of the property in Freemanville which is in his name but is stopped by Lana. Father Time shows up just in time to stop Sheriff Carver from hurting Lana. He kills one of Carver's deputies, but is killed by Carver. As Carver once again tries to flee, he is stopped by Sheriff Bates who reveals that they had a deal to split the proceeds from the land 50-50. Jesse arrives just in time to hear about the deal, and watches as Carver is betrayed and murdered by Bates. Jesse kills Bates in a showdown, finally putting his past demons to rest. Colonel Graham having captured Lana orders Jesse into the saloon where they have a climactic fight to the death resulting in Graham's death and the destruction of the saloon, which Graham had set ablaze with Lana still in it. Jesse, Obobo and Lana watch as the townspeople fight the fire.
The story ends years later with an old man being interviewed by reporters about the black cowboys of the west. The man, who was a young boy when he met Jesse Lee, gives the reporters a small book that Jesse had given him.
In the end, a caption goes on to tell that there had been over 8,000 black cowboys in the Old West whose stories had never been told due to omission by Hollywood and others alike.
Cast
- Mario Van PeeblesMario Van PeeblesMario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
- as Jesse Lee - Stephen BaldwinStephen BaldwinStephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
- as Little J - Billy ZaneBilly ZaneWilliam George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
- Colonel Graham - Tone LocTone LocAnthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...
- as Angel - Melvin Van PeeblesMelvin Van PeeblesMelvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
- as Papa Joe - Tom Lister, Jr.Tom Lister, Jr.-World Wrestling Federation :Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel....
- as Chales Lane Obobo - Big Daddy KaneBig Daddy KaneAntonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
- as Father Time - Reginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnsonReginald VelJohnson is an American actor of film, stage and television, well known for his role as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, where he was the only cast member to appear in every single episode. He also portrayed LAPD Sgt...
- as Preston - Blair UnderwoodBlair UnderwoodBlair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
- as Carver - Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
- as Cable - Charles LaneCharles LaneCharles Lane may refer to:*Charles Lane , U.S. character actor *Charles Lane , Washington Post reporter*Charles Lane , African-American actor/filmmaker...
- as Weezie - Robert HooksRobert HooksRobert Hooks is an American actor of films, television and stage. With a career as a producer and political activist to his credit, he is most recognizable to the public for his over 100 roles in films and television, as well as his political and civil rights activities...
- as King David - Richard JordanRichard JordanRichard Jordan was an American stage, screen and film actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays...
- as Sheriff Bates - Pam GrierPam GrierPamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
- as Phoebe - Nipsey RussellNipsey RussellJulius "Nipsey" Russell was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid...
- as Snopes - Paul BartelPaul BartelPaul Bartel was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.-Life and career:...
- as Mayor Bigwood - Salli RichardsonSalli RichardsonSalli Elise Richardson-Whitfield is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role on Eureka and her voice acting on Gargoyles.-Early life:...
- as Lana - Woody StrodeWoody StrodeWoodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
- as Storyteller - Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
- as Railroad Singer - Reginald HudlinReginald HudlinReginald Alan Hudlin is an American writer and film director.-Biography:Hudlin is the son of Helen , a teacher, and Warrington W. Hudlin, Sr., an insurance executive and teacher...
- as Reporter #1 - Warrington HudlinWarrington HudlinWarrington W. Hudlin, Jr. is an American film director, producer, and actor.He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the son of Helen , a teacher, and Warrington W. Hudlin, Sr., an insurance executive and teacher...
- as Reporter #2 - Richard GantRichard GantRichard E. Gant is an American film and television actor. His credits include the films Rocky V , as a possessed cornoner in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday , Deadwood, Babylon 5, Special Unit 2, NYPD Blue, Living Single, Posse and Charmed...
- as Doubletree - Richard EdsonRichard EdsonRichard Edson is an American actor and musician.-Biography:Edson was born in New Rochelle, New York. He has one brother, Steven, who resides in the Boston area, and two sisters: Andrea, who resides in Newton, Massachusetts and Jennifer, who resides in New York City. His father Arnold was one of...
- as Deputy Tom - Stephen J. CannellStephen J. CannellStephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
- as Jimmy Love - Vesta WilliamsVesta WilliamsMary Vesta Williams was an American R&B singer. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was sometimes simply billed as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. She was known for her four-octave vocal range...
- as Vera - Faizon LoveFaizon LoveFaizon Andre Love is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for roles in the films Friday, Elf, Made, and Couples Retreat.-Life and career:...
- John - T.J. McClain - LA Slim
- Angela Ward - Prostitute
- Lawrence CookLawrence Cook (actor)Lawrence Cook was an African American actor.Cook starred in The Spook Who Sat By The Door. In that film, Cook portrayed Dan Freeman, a secret black nationalist who is trained by the CIA and later trains and leads black freedom fighters in an uprising against the U.S...
Release
Posse was the first film to be released by Gramercy PicturesGramercy Pictures
Gramercy Pictures was a film distributor launched in 1992, a joint venture of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Gramercy, a so-called "mini-major," was the distributor of PolyGram movies in the United States and Canada...
. It grossed $18.2 million in the U.S. and Canadian domestic market, with US$8.555 million in rentals.