This ’90s Western Combines Blaxploitation, the Vietnam War, & the 19th Century West

Critical appraisal and audience reception can sometimes be as different as night and day. Such was the case with Posse, a Western released in 1993. The film was a new chapter in the Blaxploitation genre prevalent in the 1970s. Directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles, Posse featured a cast that included many from the Blaxploitation genre in its heyday, such as Pam Grier, Melvin Van Peebles, and Issac Hayes, alongside Big Daddy Kane, Blair Underwood, Tiny Lister, Tone Loc, Stephen Baldwin, and Billy Zane. Received poorly by critics upon release but generating a substantial profit at the box office, Posse has found a new home on Tubi.

Transposing Themes to a New Genre and Period

Gramercy Pictures

The golden era of the Blaxploitation genre occurred in the 1970s. Some of its most notable entries, such as Superfly, Dolemite, Shaft, and Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (directed by Melvin Van Peebles, who appears in Posse), arrived at a time of conflict and social unrest. The war occurring in Vietnam and the ongoing struggles for civil rights and racial equality allowed these films to explore themes of empowerment, the struggles with law enforcement, institutional poverty, and racism.

Posse, set in late 19th-century America, transposes these same themes to a different time period. The Western begins during the Spanish-American War, with Jesse Lee (Mario Van Peebles) and his division serving as nothing more than cannon fodder under the command of Col. Graham (Billy Zane). From the onset, Posse transposes the chaos of jungle warfare prominent during the Vietnam War to the tropical climate of Cuba.

A strong theme in Posse is the fight against authority that people of color were experiencing. Whether it’s law enforcement or military personnel, the corruption and exploitation exhibited by these antagonists are crucial to the narrative. It’s also one that’s not without social relevance. At the time of Posse’s release in 1993, America was less than a year removed from the L.A. Riots, sparked by the acquittal of police officers tried for using excessive force against Rodney King. King’s famous quote to quell the rioters, “Can’t we all just get along,” is even used in Posse, establishing a link between both periods.

The inner city and its turmoil with law enforcement are transposed to the town of Freemanville, a settlement founded and inhabited by Black Americans who have moved out west. Jesse Lee and his “posse” of war veterans hope to make a tranquil life for themselves, but both Col. Graham and an equally corrupt Sheriff Bates (Richard Jordan) have designs to seize the town by force and take out Jesse and his affiliates once and for all.

Presentation, Intent, and Negative Criticism

Despite generating a profit at the box office, Posse received a poor reception among prominent critics at the time of its release. Roger Ebert noted, “The movie is action without meaning.” When critiquing Posse from a technical standpoint, regarding its presentation, there are some flaws that are impossible to overlook. Posse thrives on frenetic pacing saturated with several Dutch angles and close-ups. One might argue that Peebles’ direction favors style over substance. That’s certainly one way to look at it.

Examining Posse from a structural standpoint, one sees the breakneck speed at which events occur and their jarring presentation, and concludes that the audience is “thrown into the fray,” as it were. Like any gunfight in the Old West, there’s little time to react, and circumstances and situations shift at the drop of a (cowboy) hat. Revenge and retaliation are at its core. Jesse Lee, before returning to Freemanville, is haunted by flashbacks of the racist townspeople whom he seeks to exact revenge on. While these sequences aren’t the same quality as Sergio Leone’s in Once Upon a Time in the West, they establish a motive for the character.

The flashbacks in Posse aren’t the only aspect that connects it to Once Upon a Time in the West. The film begins and concludes with a storyteller played by Woody Strode, who speaks to the audience about African American cowboys overlooked by history and Hollywood Westerns. The intent to shine a light on this important aspect of history might be diluted in the film’s frenetic pace, but the motivations are altruistic.

Beyond the action, pacing, and intention to touch upon a part of history that sometimes goes unnoticed, Posse is a film that passes the torch from one generation to the next. The transposition of themes common from the golden age of Blaxsploitation to the Western genre, and the multiple stars who were a part of the movement, anointed Mario Van Peebles and the other actors of his effort in carrying on the genre that his father, Melvin, helped formulate.

How should Posse be remembered? If we base our opinions on critical reception or box office draw, we might arrive at an impasse. The Western genre has provided audiences with a rich palette of escapism, which Posse provides, especially with its frenetic pacing, action, and remarkable performances from an exceptional cast. There is no perfect film, and Posse has flaws regarding its overall presentation. However, it should be praised for illuminating history and directly reflecting a period of injustice regarding the L.A. riots. Posse might not be the most celebrated Western, but it deserves praise.

Posse is currently streaming on Tubi and Prime Video.