Buck and the Preacher

• Directed by Sidney Poitier
• March 1972 (London) / April 1972 (Detroit)

A wagon master and a con-man preacher help freed slaves dodge cheap-labor agents in the West.

The thrust of the story of Buck and the Preacher is that racist Westerners don’t want the African-Americans settling out there. They don’t want former slaves seeking genuine freedom as opposed to the superficial freedoms of the East settling in the West. In the action packed first couple of minutes we are introduced to the main elements of the story and Sidney Poitier as Buck handling himself like a seasoned veteran Western actor. When Buck meets Preacher (Harry Belafonte) it becomes clear this is going to be a mismatched buddy film and those are just fine.

I’m used to a much more suave and I guess clean cut Harry Belafonte in comparison to the shaggy haired and less than well groomed individual we get here. He is slimy yet charming. Much like with Poitier I expected something more stately or just less trashy. There is a tension between the two that holds throughout the story no matter how friendly they get.

Buck is an experienced wagon master familiar not only with the land but in the ways of the Native American tribes that inhabit it. He’s not an unrealistic expert, but more along the lines of knowledgeable based on his time and learning. Buck is trying to save the wagon train from starvation during the winter because he gave his word. They are left with little to nothing after being robbed and forced into a questionable deal with the local Native American tribe.

Problems build but at a mild pace. Buck and the Preacher is a bit of a slow burn. It’s not filled with witty one-liners or over-the-top action scenes. This is about people trying to get from Point A to Point B for a better life and it is often filled with their concerns and their issues arise.

The story does not hide from racism. In fact racism plays a large part in the issues and occasionally even the solutions. The white people hate the recently freed slaves yet also don’t think of them as equal in any way. This allows Buck and Preacher to get the upper hand from time to time.

Buck does just doesn’t face racism. He faces difficulty from the Nastive American tribes. They see him almost as much as a white man as they do any member of the cavalry that they may have faced off with. That doesn’t account for their actions the finale, but it does explain much of what happens in the movie 

This is a lighter film with some dark occasionally dark undercurrents. I’m not calling it an inconsequential adventure for anyone, but it’s also not a revisionist Western. It tackles its subjects, but I don’t think it overall has a downbeat look on the whole of humanity or life. These are not people so dysfunctional that no amount of therapy would allow them to walk the streets.

It tries to draw parallels between the civil rights movement of the 60s and the events of the film. Cameron Mitchell’s gang (his character name is largely unimportant) is trying to prevent the black settlers from having their own land and housing and property. A feeling that many felt then.

Also because of the time I’m sure the elements of blaxploitation that appear in this are not accidental. The white characters in this film are often unable to see beyond race and they’re portrayed as sadistic. Preacher’s sermon that allows Buck and he to spray bullets is an example of that since they used racism to get them to lower their guard.

For a bit the main villain is played by Cameron Mitchell. His character’s racism allows him to be killed during a card game which has him replaced by a surviving subordinate. I’ve always been a little concerned when movies switch villains or threats midstream. Sometimes it’s because there were issues behind the scenes. I don’t know what happened here, but it didn’t upset the flow of things in any noticeable way. Then again the story wasn’t about defeating Cameron Mitchell. It was about Buck fulfilling his obligations to the pioneers. What really causes Bucks and Preacher’s problems is that they rob a bank causing not only vengeful people to follow but the law as well.

I enjoyed myself and had fun. Buck and the Preacher was rousing enough. I think it will appeal to aficionados of older style Westerns. Just do not expect endless action.