For this Movie Night session, Kirk Ellis chose BUCK AND THE PREACHER (1972), a lively blend of Western action and social commentary about freed Blacks after the Civil War leaving the South and migrating west to Kansas. Buck (Sidney Poitier, Oscar winner for LILIES OF THE FIELD), a former Union soldier who knows the territory, leads wagon trains to new land and opportunity. Intent on thwarting those plans is Deshay (Cameron Mitchell, HOMBRE), who, along with his posse of nightriders, has been hired by former Louisiana plantation owners to force the Black settlers to return and work land there. Killing Buck is also part of Deshay’s plan. But Buck has other problems, like an uneasy alliance with the Reverend Willis Oakes Rutherford (Harry Belafonte, CARMEN JONES).
Shot in Durango, Mexico, this was Poitier’s first time directing, having taken over from Joseph Sargent (THE TAKING OF PEHLAM ONE TWO THREE). And while Poitier and Belafonte were the stars, they were also producers, though uncredited. Important to both of them was combining civil rights issues and Black history in the American West into this film.
Poitier directs with the same assurance he brings to acting. As Buck, his grim determination plays well against Belafonte’s rascally preacher who keeps his big Bible nearby (and for good reason). The film also features Ruby Dee as Buck’s resourceful wife, and Enrique Lucero as an Indian chief who is willing to help Buck, but only to a point.
Though a little slow at times, the film has enough surprises to keep you guessing about what may come next. One surprise is a major plot twist about halfway through, but Poitier and screenwriter Ernest Kinoy (TV’s NAKED CITY and ROOTS) keep things engaging with some clever turns and well-staged action sequences.
With a running time of 102 minutes, BUCK AND THE PREACHER is available on Blu-ray, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Along with Kirk, Emmy-winning screenwriter and producer and also author of the book RIDE LONESOME about the production, themes and historical relevance of that classic film, our group includes Johnny D. Boggs, record nine-time Spur Award-winning and Owen Wister Award winner whose work includes LONGHORNS EAST, Kirk’s wife Sheila, David Morrell, award-winning author and New York Times best-selling author of FIRST BLOOD, the novel that introduced the character Rambo, and Robert Nott, author of several books on Western films, including his most recent RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY that examines the production, themes and legacy of the film that launched Sam Peckinpah’s career.
