They say history is written about the victors, but sometimes that’s just not the case. Odds are if you walked up to someone on the street and asked them if they knew who Bass Reeves was they’d have absolutely no clue, even though he’s someone that we should’ve at least had a lesson or two on during our history classes back in school. Bass Reeves was the first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River at a time when the country was still recovering from the Civil War. Slavery was abolished and Reeves, having escaped his enslaver in the years before the war ended, was able to take on the badge to provide for his family.
Being a U.S. marshal at the time was an incredibly dangerous job that most didn’t survive long enough to gain any sort of notoriety. Reeves knew the risks, but also knew that he had four kids and a fifth on the way, and with his skillset it was his best chance at earning a living that could provide for them in ways he never dreamed of. I’d get a bit more into his life, but then we start to take away from the series being reviewed and the story it’s trying to tell.
Based off the first two books of the Bass Reeves trilogy by Sidney Thompson, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is under the wide umbrella that Taylor Sheridan holds over Paramount. He’s the executive producer on the show, and it has a few notable similarities to Yellowstone, 1883 and 1923, just in how it’s shot, how it cuts to break, and the fact that it’s a western. Outside of that though, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is its own show, with no connection to the Yellowstone universe outside of the above. It’s also based on a real person, and certain events, while taking liberties with others.
It’s an 8-episode limited series, and it does seem as though this is all that was planned for the character. That’s probably a good thing, as even though David Oyelowo is fantastic as Reeves, the show itself does have some pacing issues that may or may not be an issue for some. Personally, I’m all for a slow burn or a well told story that takes time to craft and build up, but Lawmen: Bass Reeves just feels overly slow at times, sometimes as if they’re treading water, which is never what you want to be doing when you’re only working with eight 42-minute episodes (well, technically six 42-minute episodes, and two that are in and around 53-minutes).
The first few episodes jump through the years from Reeves escaping slavery, to finding refuge on native land, to learning that the war is over and he’s a free man, returning back to where he fled in hopes of reuniting with the love of his life. It’s never jarring, and the movement forward works to hit the key points in Reeves’ life that we need to learn about; however, I’m not exactly sure where it is, but somewhere in the middle it just felt like while six episodes may not have been enough, eight also felt like too many. That’s not to say that landing on seven would’ve been perfect, it’s just that again, the pacing in the middle just slows to a crawl and the story meanders a bit as we continuously hear from Reeves that he’ll do things the right way, with God being the only true judge. Which is a fine angle to take, and obviously how the man felt, but when it’s hammered home ad nauseam it starts to detract from the story and you just want things to move along.
Heck, maybe six episodes would’ve been the right number had they tightened things up, because the last two episodes are solid, and the beginning is interesting enough to keep you coming back. Maybe it’s also just the kind of show you just shouldn’t binge, as that may help spread things out a bit. But in today’s streaming and everything-at-once mindset, binging just comes with the territory, and choosing to do so should never detract from a truly captivating show.
The story of Reeves is interesting and it’s a story worth telling, and showrunner Chad Feehan has done a good job here doing just that, for the most part. As mentioned before, some liberties were taken, as apparently they upped his kill count to keep the action flowing (I wouldn’t hold this against them, as without the sporadic gunfights the middle section of the series really would’ve been a slog to get through) and one of the show’s main antagonists, “Mr. Sundown”, a mysterious man who makes black people disappear, was never a real person.
Again, that’s okay too though, as plenty of shows and movies do this with historical figures. Whenever you see, “Based on a True Story,” or “Based on Actual Events,” at the start of a show or movie that just means that at least the notion of the story is real, and everything else could be made up. The horror film, The Strangers, says it’s based on true events, and one of those events was from writer/director Bryan Bertino’s childhood, where he and his sister were home alone and someone came and knocked at their door asking if someone who didn’t live there was home. He later found out that they were going around the neighborhood knocking on doors and if nobody was home they’d break in. So, is The Strangers based on true events? Technically, yes, but with a bounty of liberties to make an actual story out of it.
So Lawmen: Bass Reeves creating an antagonist of the times for Reeves to go up against makes sense, and it’s a really strong enemy for him to go up against, which is perfect. That didn’t need to be the lone focus of the series, as it’s good to learn about Reeves’ beliefs, family and so forth, but a tighter focus, or at least a stronger use of the time given definitely would’ve helped keep interest at the midway point instead of seeing it wane.
Oyelowo carries the show on his shoulders, really drawing the viewer in to the mindset of Reeves, even when the pacing slows. Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland and Dennis Quaid are among the notable co-stars, and Lauren E. Banks, Forrest Goodluck and Demi Singleton fill in some of the solid, yet likely not name recognizable cast.
This is the type of show that can appeal to most audiences, even if you’re not wrapped up in the other work Taylor Sheridan has in his portfolio. The fact that it’s based on a real-life hero who deserves the recognition opens the doors for history buffs looking for a somewhat accurate portrayal of Reeves’ life at the time, or those who just want to learn more about one of the first black U.S. marshals ever. For those who are entwined in everything Sheridan and are looking for something to fill that western void while waiting for Yellowstone to return then don’t be afraid to pull the trigger on Lawmen: Bass Reeves, as it may just do the trick.
Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
The show looks great on Blu-ray, with gorgeous set designs that help the viewer travel back in time. The locations shot in are also easy on the eyes and really capture the feel of the times as well, and the details on the clothing and sets are plentiful. There are plenty of scenes shot at night, including the majority of the climactic finale and it’s never hard to distinguish details, or worry about being distracted by muddying or poor shadows. As a whole this is a solid 1080p transfer that looks sharper than you’ll find if you streamed the show, so if it is a show of interest, or you’re a fan and want to watch it repeatedly, the Blu-ray is definitely worth investing in.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a Dolby Audio track that sees dialogue come through clean and clear, front and center, which is great. It pops nicely against the show’s score, which can fill a room if allowed, and there are enough shootouts in the show to really get some use out of a surround sound system, that’ll have you hearing bullets whizzing by or pinging off areas behind you making you happy you’re in the safety of your living room and not truly in the mix of it.
Special Features:
Behind the Story – Fans of shows that Sheridan is involved with know these featurettes quite well, as they’re found below every episode to give a 4-7 minute breakdown by the cast and crew of what the characters went through in that episode, where their mindset is, and small bits about what shooting was like. So there are eight of these, and I do recommend watching them after you’ve watched the episode as they will contain spoilers.
Unbreakable: The Legend of Bass Reeves – This is a 39-minute feature that sees the cast, crew and author Sydney Thompson talk about Reeves, how it’s crazy that so little is told about him in history books, how he deserves proper recognition, and about bringing the character to life through the show.
A Breed Apart: Production Design with Wynn Thomas – This is a 17-minute feature that focuses on, you guessed it, the production design that went into the show. We get to see some behind-the-scenes stuff, with Pepper talking about how they’d allow actors to put a bit of input into how their costumes would be designed (not in terms of accuracy, but more in terms of smaller things, such as a place for a pocket watch and the likes.)
Lawmen: Bass Reeves – The Native American Nations – This is where we enter the quicker featurettes that are more promotional for the show with a little bit of extra information given throughout. This one is under 5-minutes and focuses on how they made sure to do right by the Native American Nations shown in the show.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves – Behind the Battle of Pea Ridge – Again, another 5-minute promotional featurette that takes a look behind-the-scenes at the first battle in the show.
Building the World of Lawmen: Bass Reeves – I may be a bit of a broken record, but this is another just over 5-minute featurette that focuses on the world building of the show. Again, it’s done promotionally and likely aired leading into the premiere of the show to get people excited, but they’ve still got some fun tidbits of info in them and they’re fast enough to watch for those interested.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves – The Legend Behind the Badge – This one comes in at just over 4-minutes and is a quick look at the U.S. marshal and his growing legend at the time.
Meet the Characters – This is 8-minutes of a quick look at eight different characters in the show, the actors who portray them and the excitement they had about bringing them to life.
Paramount Pictures Presents Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Created by: Chad Feehan. Starring: David Oyelowo, Lauren E. Banks, Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Demi Singleton, Grantham Coleman, Donald Sutherland. Running time: 361 Minutes. Rating: 14A. Released on Blu-ray: April 30, 2024.
About Brendan Campbell
