A former slave masquerades as a man to enlist in the Union Army and searches for her American dream after the Civil War. Her plans are interrupted when she’s trapped guarding a notorious bank robber in a desolate wilderness. Surrounded stars Letitia Wright in a gritty Western that addresses racial and gender inequality with a fusillade of bullets. The protagonist finds an unexpected kinship in a vicious murderer who sees behind her facade. Sublime cinematography and rich character development adds texture to a narrative that runs thin but never fails to be engaging.
Moses Washington (Wright) prays in an 1870 church at the edge of the western frontier. She hides her most prized possession in an old and worn out bible. Mo has secured a land deed to a gold mine in Colorado. It’s her treasured prize after leaving the army with a distinguished record. She pretends to be a man by hiding her feminine features under loose clothing. Mo keeps her revolver handy just in case. No one in town has an inkling about her secret.
Mo initially has trouble securing a ride on the stagecoach. Miss Borders (Augusta Allen-Jones) doesn’t feel comfortable sharing her seat with a Black man. The crafty Mr. Fields (Brett Gelman) won’t tolerate Mo having a gun. Wheeler (Jeffrey Donovan) has the sway to squelch any dissent. Mo can ride in the backseat outside as long as “he” gives up his weapon. Embarrassment and discomfort are nothing new. Mo obliges and climbs in the back.
Gunslinger Letitia Wright
They don’t get far before trouble strikes. Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell) and his gang ambush the coach. Mo covers herself to avoid detection as they rob the other passengers. A firefight ensues that spooks the horses. Mo leaps off the stagecoach as it crashes. It’s bloody chaos as she finds a gun and proves her skill. Wheeler escapes and races for backup. Mo captures Tommy, but her problems have just begun. He’s a wanted man who’s hidden a fortune in stolen loot. Tommy recognizes that Mo is a woman. She must hold him until help returns or face hanging if Tommy escapes. That’s no easy feat with Tommy’s gang and bounty hunters searching for them.
Wright doesn’t say much in the first act. This is by design as a strategy to go unnoticed. Mo doesn’t want anyone looking too closely. She purposely shies away from confrontation. Her subservience and skin color provide ample camouflage to the prejudiced. She’s less than a man as Black, but even more so as female. Mo uses ignorance to her advantage until she’s forced to defend herself.
Bell has the opposite personality as the formidable Tommy. He’s an unrepentant killer with an acid tongue. Tommy spouts venom as he browbeats his men and terrifies the passengers. Your money or your life isn’t just a saying. Tommy knows he’s worth more alive than dead. The noose awaits, but after he’s given up the buried treasure. Tommy must kill Mo and escape or convince her to let him go.
Jamie Bell as Tommy Walsh
Surrounded changes dynamics once Mo and Walsh are alone. She has the power, but time is fleeting for the both of them. Tommy’s tactics take a different turn. He attempts to ingratiate himself through empathy. Tommy understands Mo’s hardships as a slave, woman, and soldier. He’s the first person to treat her as an equal. Mo isn’t a fool easily charmed. She knows that Walsh will say anything to drop her guard. But he speaks truthfully about her life’s experience. Why should she show loyalty to people who hate and oppress her? Maybe a deal with the devil is the best outcome in a bad situation.
Director Anthony Mandler (Monster) does an admirable job of framing the characters and setting. Surrounded is beautifully shot with expansive backgrounds that become more focused with the narrowing plot. Mo and Tommy seek refuge under a tree when darkness and snow enters the equation. The film transforms into a desperate play of wills. Hatred and resentment can lead to foolish mistakes. But a false sense of community is just as deadly. The great Michael K.Williams, in his final performance, has a third act entrance and possible solution to Mo’s predicament.
Surrounded portrays Mo as the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. She has to be the most capable killer to have survived for so long in an unjust world. The film succumbs to Western gunslinger tropes with her exaggerated skill. Every shot she fires finds its target while the baddies couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. The action becomes a tad too fantastic after being initially grounded. This leaves the resolution in little doubt after establishing nuance and exploring serious themes.
Surrounded is a production of Bron Studios, Blackhand Media Production, Mandalay Pictures, and 3.16 Productions. It will have a VOD and digital release on June 20th from MGM.
