Posse (1993 film)

Infobox Film
name = Posse


caption = Posse, The untold story of the wild west
director = Mario Van Peebles
producer = Preston Holmes
Jim Steele
writer = Sy Richardson
Dario Scardapane
starring = Stephen Baldwin
Big Daddy Kane
Tiny Lister
Tone Loc
Blair Underwood
Mario Van Peebles
Billy Zane
music = Michel Colombier
cinematography = Peter Menzies Jr.
editing = Mark Conte
Seth Flaum
distributor = Gramercy Pictures
released = flagicon|USA May 14, 1993
runtime = 111 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:38821
imdb_id = 0107863
website =

"Posse" is a 1993 Western film directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles. The movie is a thriller filled with action and fight sequences. The story is about a posse(i.e. group of people summoned to help law enforcement officers) of black soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The story starts with the group escaping with a cache of gold, and continues with their leader Jesse Lee (Mario Van Peebles) taking revenge on the men who killed his preacher father. Tag lines are "The Untold Story of the Wild West" and "Story wilder than the untamed West".

Plot

The story is presented as a flashback told by an unnamed Old Man (Woody Strode), starts with a Cuban prologue during Spanish American War.

panish-American War

The story centers around a group of ragtag but mostly black infantrymen returning from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. The War brings together many principals, Oboe (Tiny Lister Jr.), Weezie (Charles Lane), Angel (Tone Loc), Jesse Lee (Van Peebles) and Little J (Stephen Baldwin), to fight against common enemy. They are all mistreated and betrayed by Colonel Graham (Billy Zane). They are accompanied by few more soldiers and gamblers like Father Time (Kane). They are all fugitives and run with a cache of gold. They later travel to the West with their leader Jesee Lee to search for the men who lynched his father.

Jesse Lee's quest for revenge

Freeman Ville is a black settlement in Jesse Lee's hometown. His father is a preacher named King David (Robert Hooks) who was murdered by Ku Klux Klan marauders. Jesee Lee returns to his town to hunt his father's murderers. Jesse comes to know that Racist Colonel(Zane), who lives in a neighboring town, is behind the lynching and terrorizing Jesse's town. Jesse also observes that the sheriff (Richard Jordan) is friends with the evil people.

Little J unites with Lana, his old girl friend and the daughter of Jesse Lee. He falls in love with her.

Klan's attack

Klan attacks the town next night and searches for Jesse Lee. Klan members beat Little J to death and takes Obobo and Weezie as a captive with them.

Jesee visiting jail

Jesse wears a mask and is dressed as Klan's man. He comes to visit the jail. The mayor and another "deputy" are stunned to find Jesse. The fight ends with Jessie shooting the deputy along the way, and jailing the mayor, and escaping with Oboe.

Preparation for fight

Then the Sheriff comes in, finds the dead deputy, and then shoots the jailed mayor to put more blame on Jessee. Colonel Graham meets the Sheriff and seeks the help to catch the "fugtive" Jesse.

Meanwhile, the soldiers and residents are thinking of how to avenge themselves. They first think the problems to the village are because of Jesse Lee, and request him to leave. Later, they realize that their town is under seize to expand rail road and foresee the danger they are facing from Sheriff and Colonel. They plan to join hands with Jesse and fight together.

Klan's second attack

Klan rides again looking for Jesse on next morning. They are ambushed by residents who fight gorilla war for many minutes. When the residents are at upper hand, the colonel comes with a barrel gun and a few more men. The town is ill prepared and easily cut down.

Climax fight

Jesse Lee takes risk, rides to gun with a hand bomb, and kills the machine gunner. Then the sheriff Jordan kills Blairwood, as he is making a deal. He then turns around and kills Father Time.

Colonel Graham calls Jesse out and warns that he held his lady Lana. Jesse enters the saloon and finds his girlfriend bound to a chair. Colonel taunts lee by pulling the trigger many times.

Oboe slips in trying to kill the colonel and the colonel shoots him. Jesse Lee kills Grhamas assistant and then Graham finally.

Cast

* Mario Van Peebles - as Jesse Lee
* Stephen Baldwin - as Little J
* Billy Zane - Colonel Graham
* Tone Loc - as Angel
* Melvin Van Peebles - as Papa Joe
* Tom Lister, Jr. - as Chales Lane Obobo
* Big Daddy Kane - as Father Time
* Reginald VelJohnson
* Blair Underwood - as Carver
* Isaac Hayes - as Cable
* Robert Hooks - as King David
* Richard Jordan - as Sheriff Bates
* Pam Grier - as Phoebe
* Nipsey Russell - Snopes
* Paul Bartel - Mayer Bigwood
* Salli Richardson - as Lana, herioine
* Woody Strode - old man narrating flashback of the movie
* Aaron Neville
* Reginald Hudlin
* Warrington Hudlin
* Richard Grant
* Richard Edson
* Stephen J. Cannell - Jimmy Love
* Vesta Williams - Vera

Credits

* Director - Mario Van Peebles
* Story - Sy Richardson and Dario Scardapane
* Director of photography Peter Menzies Jr.
* Casting - Pat Golden
* Music Supervision - Karyn Rachtman
* Music - [Michel Columbie]
* Production designer - Catherine Hardwicke
* Producers - Preston Holmes, Jim Steele and Jim Fishman
* Executive Producers - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Bill Fishman and Paul Webster
* Costume Designer Paul A. Simmons
* Editing - Mark Conte and Seth Flaum
* Banner - Gramercy Pictures.

External links

*Imdb title|id=0107863|title=Posse
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE4D81430F937A25756C0A965958260 Newyork times Posse movie review]
* [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800189484/info Yahoo movies review of Posse movie]
* [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306613,00.html Entertainment weekly's Posse review]