Review: ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Season One Brings History To Life On Blu-ray
by David Lewis
From Gumsmoke and The Rifleman to Justified and Yellowstone, westerns have always found a home on TV, and it continues with the diligent, visually opulent, but overly earnest Lawmen: Bass Reeves, now available on Blu-ray from Paramount+.
David Oyelowo (Selma) stars as Reeves, a onetime slave who battles racism and dangerous frontier territories to become one of the Old West’s most legendary law bringers, eventually arresting more than 3,000 outlaws.
The eight-part series begins in 1862, with Reeves as a slave forced to fight on the side of the Confederacy, where he sees firsthand that racism and corruption don’t only exist south of the Mason-Dixon line. After escaping to freedom and taking up residency in Indian Territory, Reeves starts a family with his wife, Sally (Demi Singleton), and takes up his calling as the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi.
Created by executive poducer Chad Feehan (Ray Donovan), Bass Reeves is also executive produced by Oyelowo and Yellowstone mastermind Taylor Sheridan.
Shining a badly needed spotlight on a fascinating pioneer — and exploring issues of race and justice in the Old West in general — Bass Reeves deserves credit for revising some outdated interpretations of that chapter in US history.
It’s all played out very traditionally and earnestly, but lingers on too many slow scenes of domesticity and less-than-interesting subplots. It could actually use a little more of the soapy sizzle of Yellowstone. However, Oyelowo is solid as Reeves, in a far-ranging and often very physical performance. It’s all handsomely mounted, with truly stunning vistas of its mostly Texan locations standing in for nearby Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The supporting cast is loaded with great performers — including Donald Sutherland, Shea Whigham, Barry Pepper, and Dennis Quaid — who each get one or two episodes to shine, alongside lesser-known stars like Forrest Goodluck.
The three-disc Blu-ray set is packed with extras, making it a must for fans of the streaming series. The main featurette deftly illustrates how the project came together under Oyelowo’s guiding passion. It also presents a historical overview of Reeves’ life, one that has been largely left out of history books and potentially inspired The Lone Ranger.
Shorter behind-the-scenes documentaries suffer from inevitable overlap, but highlight the craftspeople who brought Bass Reeves to life in vivid detail. Production designer Wynn Thomas, a regular collaborator on Spike Lee‘s films, shares beautiful sketches and digital renderings that were expertly transformed into the series’ striking sets. Propmasters discuss the difficulties in finding and creating props that were accurate for a narrative that runs from 1862 to 1877. Likewise, the practical effects employed for the first episode’s epic Battle of Pea Ridge sequence are explored in great, nerdy detail.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves Season One is now available on Blu-ray.
