Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2024

Forget Taylor Swift. It feels like Taylor Sheridan is the omnipresent force on the entertainment landscape these days, and Paramount is all too happy to drop his name on anything he so much as breathes on anymore. The creator of the runaway hit Yellowstone (and its various spinoffs) has also had his name attached to projects like Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King and, now Yellowbass, er, King of Lawmen, er, Mayor Bass Reeves, er...Lawmen: Bass Reeves. That's it! (it's getting harder and harder to keep Sheridan-world straight). This latest show is a semibiographical story of the title character, the first black Marshal to work west of the Mississippi. It's a fine show, and the Western setting and style and cinematic expressiveness and expansiveness certainly reveals Sherridan's fingerprints on the project, but it lacks the scope and scale of Yellowstone and the grit of both Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King. It does feel like Sherridan's most intimate project to date, and it may be his most meaningful, but while the show attempts to both tell a story and make a statement, it far too often favors the former and can't always quite dig deeply enough to satisfy at its stabs with the latter.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves tells the story of the title character (David Oyelowo) who was once a slave and forced to fight for the Confederacy during the Civil War but who ultimately finds his freedom and, suddenly, finds himself as an enforcer of the law west of the Mississippi River as a U.S. Deputy Marshal. The show traces his story while painting a vivid picture of the sociopolitical landscape of his time, exploring the cultural diversity and violence that defined life on the American frontier while also looking at how prejudices impacted his life and work.

One of the things that sets Bass Reevesapart from other Sheridan works is the rich history and narrative authenticity at work in the show. This is based on a real character and a true story, obviously embellished for TV duty and audience engagement, but the core story resonates with a richness of realism that brings to it a sense of life and viewing satisfaction that shows like Yellowstone cannot match. The show finds a healthy, positive blend of historical realism meets core entertainment value and necessary dramatic depth, and when married to its wonderful production design, sprawling locales, and richly realized set pieces, makes for a complete experience that not only brings a story and a character to life, but engages the viewer with a complete package TV show.

None of that matters without a strong cast, and Bass Reeves delivers there as well. The show is not only well cast but also expertly performed, with each cast member, major and minor alike, sinking teeth into parts and capturing a sense of world involvement and story understanding that gives the show that final necessary push into authenticity and excellence. Needless to say, the star of the show is David Oyelowo playing the title character, who brings, first, a deep desire to play the part with respect to the character and his place in history but also, second, a deeply understanding spirit and, third, a performance depth worthy of the man. He's surrounded by both name actors and relative unknowns alike who bring great authenticity and spirit to the production, resulting in one of the best casts and best acted shows of the past few years.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount delivers Lawmen: Bass Reeves to Blu-ray with an efficient and very satisfying 1080p transfer. The digital elements translate exceptionally well to the 1080p resolution, offering abundant clarity and razor-sharp definition across the board, capturing essentials like intricate hairs and intimate skin details with an ease and efficiency that is striking, even in the 2024. Additional clarity to natural elements like woods, leaves, and grasses delight, as do human constructs like homes, fireplaces, weapons, saddles, and other period-critical details that show off the exceptionally fine production design elements in every shot and the painstaking care that was given to everything in every shot. The Blu-ray certainly does all that hard work justice. Color reproduction is wonderful. Vivid natural greens are a standout. Clothes are usually a little muted by design but find plenty of vitality as the material coloring allows. The show is home to plenty of earthy tones as well, like beiges and grays, which are richly authentic in depth and accuracy. Black levels are generally very strong with few exceptions of pushing slightly light. White balance is pleasing, and skin tones appear authentic across the diverse spectrum seen in the show. Noise is very mild in low light. There is almost no banding or other eyesore artifacts to see. This is a top-tier image from Paramount.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lawmen: Bass Reeves features the Paramount staple Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is well rounded, a jack of all trades, doing everything well but nothing spectacularly. The track does run the gamut of content, from a sprawling battle to single gunshots, for instance, with the former offering a nice array of surround details and quality immersion while holding clarity, and the latter delivering just enough oomph and reverb to satisfy, but not necessarily create a perfectly realistic sense of accuracy. Musical definition is good, offering wide front end extension and modest surround support to bring the lifelike notes into the stage with a pleasing sense of basic fullness. One of the areas where the track truly shines comes in the way of general environmental atmosphere, where the sounds of nature, or of busy locales, offer richly expressive ambience to draw the listener into the world. Dialogue is always clear, predominately centered, and well prioritized for the duration.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc set for Lawmen: Bass Reeves includes extras on all three discs, and the collection is very typical of a Sherridan TV show, with all three discs offering detailed episode-by-episode recaps paired with some additional extras on disc three. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase, but this release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief but comprehensive episode-by-episode recaps, offering plot details, story and character insights, production anecdotes, and more. Included are Part I (6:27), Part II (5:49), and Part III (5:47).

Disc Two:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief but comprehensive episode-by-episode recaps, offering plot details, story and character insights, production anecdotes, and more. Included are Part IV (5:59), Part V (6:12), and Part VI (5:39).

Disc Three:

• Behind the Story (1080p): Brief but comprehensive episode-by-episode recaps, offering plot details, story and character insights, production anecdotes, and more. Included are Part VII (5:53) and Part VIII (7:10).
• Unbreakable: The Legend of Bass Reeves (1080p, 39:19): Exploring the real history of Bass Reeves and the world in which he lived, Sheridan's involvement in the project, cast and performances, the show's authenticity, representation in the show, shooting locales, recreating the Civil War, props and wardrobe, and more.
• A Breed Apart: Production Design with Wynn Thomas (1080p, 16:59): An in-depth look at the process of prepping for the show by studying historical materials and recreating the past for making an authentic show. It also explores shooting locales in great detail.
• The Native American Nations (1080p, 4:31): A short look at the importance of authentically representing Native Americans in the show.
• Behind the Battle of Pea Ridge (1080p, 4:56): Making the sprawling Civil War battle sequence that opens the series while also commenting on the battle's real historical significance.
• Building the World of Lawmen: Bass Reeves (1080p, 5:37): Another piece that looks at the show's scope and scale, production design, sets and shooting locales, and more.
• The Legend Behind the Badge (1080p, 4:22): Looking at the real Bass Reeves in a piece that more or less regurgitates content from previous extras.
• Meet the Characters (1080p): Brief character sketches. Included are Bass Reeves (1:02), Jennie Reeves (1:02), Sherrill Lynn (1:02), Judge Parker (1:02), Billy Crow (0:52), Sally Reeves (1:02), Esau Pierce (0:57), and George Reeves (1:00).

Lawmen: Bass Reeves Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lawmen: Bass Reeves is a fine show that is well paced and narratively engaging. It's just the right length at eight episodes, offering enough time to sink deeply into the world but not overwhelm the audience with needless ancillary or self-indulgent content. The story is rich, the performances are great, and the production design is stellar. Paramount's three-disc Blu-ray set is first-rate, too, delivering satisfying video and audio and a solid collection of extras. Recommended.