Blu-ray Review: LAWMEN: BASS REEVES

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May 28 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

The 8-episode limited series Lawmen: Bass Reeves tells the extraordinary true story of legendary lawman Bass Reeves—a man who went from being a slave to one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River.

The series opens in March 1862, in Arkansas, where slave Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) is forced to to fight on the side of the Confederacy as a body man for his master George Reeves (Shea Whigham). Bass is an excellent shot and shows bravery in battle, despite being forced to fight against the very rights he should be fighting for. While George insists that he is going to reward Bass by setting him free, Bass quickly realizes that this is never going to happen, and is forced to make a run for Indian territory, leaving his wife Jennie (Lauren E. Banks) behind. For many years he hides out with the Seminole Nation, helping a woman and her son tend to their land in exchange for food and shelter, becoming a part of their family. It’s not until he crosses paths with former Confederate Major Esau Pierce (Barry Pepper) that he discovers the war is over and that the Union won.

Bass reconnects with his wife, starts a family, and tries to run a farm, but he doesn’t have much luck with his crops. He meets Deputy U.S. Marshall Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid), who is having some issues serving a writ in Choctaw Nation. Sherrill thinks a Black man who can speak their language would have an easier time, and offers Bass a job joining his posse for this task. The Marshall is a brash, direct man who is quick on the draw, while Bass prefers to try more peaceful tactics first before resorting to guns and violence. Word about Bass gets back to Judge Parker (Donald Sutherland), who offers him a full time job as a Deputy U.S. Marshall. Bass quickly proves to be a skilled lawman, using cunning tactics to nab his marks, sometimes even dressing up as characters to surprise his targets and arrest them peacefully without a fight. While he sees the good in people and would prefer to try to rehabilitate some of these criminals, Judge Parker aka “The Hanging Judge” lacks sympathy for those who break the law, and doesn’t care why they did what they did.

As the years pass, Bass starts to question if he is truly on the right side of justice. Many of the people he is sent to capture were forced to take the law into their own hands in order to survive or get justice, because the system failed them. He might have even done the same thing if he had been in their shoes. He also finds himself a target from those who don’t appreciate his maintaining of the law. The constant time away from his family also starts to take a toll on Bass’s relationships with his wife and children. Is he doing the right thing or should he call it quits?

The first couple of episodes of the series set up Bass’s backstory and what led him to become a Deputy U.S. Marshall, while the others follow him as he forms his posse—including reformed law-breaker Billy Crow (Forrest Goodluck) who aspires to be a Deputy like Bass one day—and takes on various cases. Over the course of the season, we see how the job affects Bass, his family life, and his opinions of what is right and wrong. There is also an ongoing storyline of this mysterious person known as Mr. Sundown, who has been making Black folks disappear all along the territory, and may be looking for Bass. While there are a lot of great action sequences throughout the season, the finale closes the series on a particularly tense and exciting blow-out.

I had never heard of Bass Reeves before checking out this series. His story is not one that was ever mentioned in school, though it is extraordinary, and is something that everyone should know about. In the bonus material, the filmmakers mention that Bass’s exploits were actually the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. The series has tremendous production value, with amazing sets and costumes that transport the viewer back to the latter half of the 19th century. The series comes from the same production company as Yellowstone and 1883, and the attention to detail is tremendous. The series opens with the epic Battle of Pea Ridge, which could rival any big budget feature film. Throughout the series, we get this excellent mix of exciting action sequences, tense moments, emotional character drama, and even some laughs.

I binged all 8 episodes of the season over the long weekend, and found the series to be quite satisfying. It has a nice blend of action, tension and drama, and does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters and making them feel multi-dimensional. The cast is excellent, especially David Oyelowo in the title role, who delivers a strong, emotional and entertaining performance of this man over a couple decades of his life. There are lots of recognizable (some really big name) actors in this series, who make a great impression, even if they only appear in 1 or 2 episodes. While this is meant as a limited series and tells a complete story, I would certainly watch more tales of Bass Reeves’ exploits, or of other lawmen set in this era—the title seems to imply maybe this series could be treated like an anthology, looking at the lives of different lawmen.

Paramount Home Entertainment has released Lawmen: Bass Reeves on Blu-ray and DVD. I was sent the Blu-ray for review, and the presentation is solid. The picture is crystal clear, with an excellent level of detail, especially in faces. No matter if the action is taking place during the day, or during a nighttime raid, the picture always looks great. The Dolby TrueHD audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action. This is especially true of the series’ epic opening battle sequence.

The eight episodes of the series are spread across 3 discs, which are placed on either side of a standard-sized Blu-ray keepcase (discs 2 and 3 are stacked on the right peg), and covered with a glossy carboard slipcover. The discs contain over two hours of behind-the-scenes bonus material, a couple of these featurettes are exclusive to this Blu-ray/DVD release. Some of these interviews get a bit repetitive, reusing some of the same clips, but overall I found them to be quite interesting and informative.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (5:58:12)

All 8 episodes:
Disc 1 (2:20:13): “Part I”, “Part II”, “Part III”
Disc 2 (2:12:24): “Part IV”, “Part V”, “Part VI”
Disc 3 (1:25:35): “Part VII”, “Part VIII”
1080p / Widescreen 2.00:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

Behind the Story
The cast and crew discuss the characters, themes, major plot developments, and historical context of each episode. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with historian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, director/executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros, director Damian Marcano, stunt coordinator Jordan Warrack, set decorator Adrian Segura, exotic animal trainer Mark Schwaiger, and stars executive producer David Oyelowo (“Bass Reeves”), Barry Pepper (“Esau Pierce”), Shea Whigham (“George Reeves”), Lauren E. Banks (“Jennie Reeves”), Dennis Quaid (“Sherrill Lynn”), Donald Sutherland (“Judge Isaac Parker”), Forrest Goodluck (“Billy Crow”), Indian affairs coordinator Mo Brings Plenty (“Minco Dodge”) & Demi Singleton (“Sally Reeves”). These can be found in the episode selection menu on the discs with their respective episodes. Select from:
- Part I (6:27)
- Part II (5:49)
- Part III (5:47)
- Part IV (5:59)
- Part V (6:12)
- Part VI (5:39)
- Part VII (5:53)
- Part VIII (7:10)
Unbreakable: The Legend of Bass Reeves (39:19)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the extraordinary life of this lawman that most people have never heard of, and wanting to do justice to his story. The cast and crew talk about working with David Oyelowo, keeping things authentic, the filming locations, working with the various crew members, production challenges, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, executive producer David C. Glasser, author Sidney Thompson (The Bass Reeves Trilogy), director/executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros, executive producer Taylor Sheridan, director Damian Marcano, production designer Wynn Thomas, military technical advisor/military costumer Harlan Glenn, property master Ira A. McAliley, set decorator Adrian Segura, costume designer Isis Mussenden, animal trainer Mark Schwaiger, and stars David Oyelowo, Lauren E. Banks, Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Donald Sutherland, Mo Brings Plenty, Shea Whigham, Demi Singleton & Forrest Goodluck. This is exclusive to this Blu-ray & DVD release.
A Breed Apart: Production Design with Wynn Thomas (16:59)
Production Designer Wynn Thomas discusses his process of designing the sets and choosing the locations to make the production look historically accurate. Other cast and crew members talk about working with Thomas and what he brought to the series. Includes concept artwork, reference photos, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, director/executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros, executive producer Taylor Sheridan, star David Oyelowo, and set decorator Adrian Segura. This is exclusive to this Blu-ray & DVD release.
The Native American Nations (4:31)
The cast and filmmakers talk about ensuring that Native American language and culture was presented authentically in the series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, historian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, costume designer Isis Mussenden, set decorator Adrian Segura, and stars David Oyelowo, Forrest Goodluck & Mo Brings Plenty.
Behind the Battle of Pea Ridge (4:56)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the show’s big opening Civil War battle sequence. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with historian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, director Christina Voros, writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, lead armorer Harry Lu, military technical advisor Harlan Glenn, costume designer Isis Mussenden, executive producer David Glasser, and stars David Oyelowo, Barry Pepper & Shea Whigham.
Building the World of Lawmen: Bass Reeves (5:37)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the massive scale of the series and the sets. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Christina Voros, production designer Wynn Thomas, costume designer Isis Mussenden, writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, prop master Ira McAliley, set decorator Adrian Segura, director Damian Marcano, istorian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, and stars David Oyelowo, Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Donald Sutherland, Demi Singleton, Shea Whigham, Mo Brings Plenty, Forrest Goodluck & Lauren E. Banks.
The Legend Behind the Badge (4:22)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the life and legend of Bass Reeves. Includes interviews with director Christina Voros & Damian Marcano, executive producer David Glasser, historian/consultant Dr. Sidney Thompson, writer/co-creator/executive producer Chad Feehan, and stars David Oyelowo, Dennis Quaid, Lauren E. Banks, Barry Pepper, Demi Singleton, Donald Sutherland, Forrest Goodluck & Shea Whigham.
Meet The Characters (7:59)
The cast members talk about their characters. Play All, or seelct from:
- Bass Reeves (1:02)
- Jennie Reeves (1:02)
- Sherrill Lynn (1:02)
- Judge Parker (1:02)
- Billy Crow (:52)
- Sally Reeves (1:02)
- Esau Pierce (:57)
- George Reeves (1:00)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Episodes:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Lawmen: Bass Reeves is another solidly-entertaining period drama from the producers of Yellowstone and 1883. It is not only epic in scale but also a thoughtful character drama about the extraordinary story of a man who is often overlooked in American history books. The series features an amazing cast and excellent production value, with a solid Blu-ray presentation and hours of bonus material. The release comes highly recommended for any fans of these kinds of historical dramas/westerns.