Corsicana (2022)

Isaiah Washington is Bass Reeves, a federal marshal trying to bring the vicious Jack Donner gang to justice.

Donner (Lew Temple) and his band of killers have been hired to secure two oil-rich pieces of land.

Their other mission; Getting Bass Reeves out of the way of “progress.”

They viciously attack a family that holds one of those two parcels, figuring that will convince the victim’s brother to part with his land as well.

Meanwhile, Reeves is rounding up a “posse” to bring the Donner gang to justice.

That posse will include an outlaw-turned-preacher Sam Tanner (Jason Johnson), who lost his wife and child to the Donner gang years earlier.

It will also include California, a former Union sharpshooter.

And California thinks he knows the perfect spot to set an ambush for the outlaws.

The stakes are high. Not only is there a score to settle, the gang has a $20,000 price tag on their collective heads.

Isaiah Washington as Bass Reeves, a U.S. Marshal on the trail of a gang of cutthroats in Corsicana (2022)

Lew Temple as Jack Donner, leader of a gang of cutthroats who viciously murder a family in Corsicana (2022)

Review:

In his directorial debut, Isaiah Washington certainly gives us some outlaws who deserve to be hunted down.

During the attack on the farming family, Donner ties a cow bell around the neck of the husband. Every time he hears the bell, he’s going to cut off one of the wife’s fingers.

Why might the bell chime? Because the gang members are raping the wife in front of the husband while she’s bent over the kitchen table and her children watch from an adjacent room.

Then Donner takes a knife to their young son, who’s already been beaten with a six-gun, because he decides the occasion calls for a “sacrifice.”

If you remember anything about the movie, it’s likely to be that scene. Because the rest of the movie is a bit of a muddled mess.

And while wasting time on unnecessary flashbacks and a scene of the former preacher dusting off his knife-throwing skills, filmmakers forgot to give us any real reason to care what happens to Bass Reeves or his companions.

The silliness reaches its zenith during the climatic gunfight. First, Donner somehow magically senses that Reeves has a sharpshooter with him. Then, as bullets fly, two members of the outlaw gang decide it would be a perfect time to try to kill one another.

What are we left with? A decent looking film featuring decent acting. And a noble, but very flawed attempt to tell the suddenly very popular story of Bass Reeves.

Jason Johnson as Sam Tanner, the preacher Bass Reeves convinces to strap on his guns again to hunt down the Jack Donner gang in Corsicana (2022)

Hank Slaughter as California, the Civil War sharpshooter Bass Reeves recruits for his ‘posse’ in Corsicana (2022)

Directed by:
Isaiah Washington

Cast:
Isaiah Washington … Bass Reeves
Jason Johnson … Sam Tanner
Lew Temple … Jack Donner
Hank Slaughter … California
Noel Gugliemi … Juan
Billy Blair … Miller
Major Dodge … Doak
Robert Johnson … Holt
Stacey Dash … Jennie
Thomas Q. Jones … young Bass Reeves
Charles Solomon Jr. … Col. George Reeves
Amber McNutt … Becky
Brooke Anne Smith … Margaret Jenkins
Robert Catrini … Carter
Kevin Gage … Tate

Runtime: 102 min.

Major Dodge as Doak, a member of the Jack Donner gang in Corsicana (2022)

Billy Blair as Miller, a member of the Jack Donner gang in Corsicana (2022)

Memorable lines:

Bass Reeves, explaining how he came across information about the Donner gang: “Loyalty doesn’t mean much when you’re gutshot.”

Bass Reeves, as his “posse” embarks on its mission: “We all killers, Sam. And some men just need killing.”

Bass Reeves, preparing an ambush for the Donner gang: “It’s kinda

Robert Johnson as Holt, a member of the Jack Donner gang in Corsicana (2022)

Noel Gugliemi as Juan, a member of the Jack Donner gang in Corsicana (2022)

Stacey Dash as Jennie, Sam Bass’s woman who wishes he’d quit leaving her and her children so he can chase outlaws in Corsicana (2022)

Brooke Anne Smith as Margaret Jenkins, the helper of preacher Sam Tanner in Corsicana (2022)

Thomas Q. Jones as young Bass Reeves, playing cards with his master and commander during the Civil War in Corsicana (2022)

Charles Solomon Jr. as Col. George Reeves, the Confederate commander who accuses Bass Reeves of cheating at cards in Corsicana (2022)

Amber McNutt as Becky, the farmer’s wife who tries to defend her family in Corsicana (2022)

Thomas Carter Rochester as Tom, the farmer watching five strangers approach his home in Corsicana (2022)