Buck and the Preacher
Sidney Poitier · 1972
Sidney Poitier’s 1972 directorial debut Buck and the Preacher recasts the Western around the Exoduster movement: Buck (Poitier) leads freed people westward, negotiates with Native Americans for safe passage, and allies with the sharp-tongued Reverend Rutherford (Harry Belafonte) to evade white marauders. Shot in Mexico and Kenya, with cinematography by Alex Phillips Jr. and music by Benny Carter, it balances action with quiet realism — prioritising collective survival over individual legend. Though its villains lack nuance and some plot devices feel functional, its commitment to Black self-determination, material history, and genre reclamation remains potent.