Buck and the Preacher

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Buck and the Preacher

PG,

1972,

1h 42m,

Western

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84%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck (Sidney Poitier) makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist, the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), joins the group, and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters, led by the fiendish Deshay (Cameron Mitchell), attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.

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Critics Consensus

Sidney Poitier's directorial debut may be more steady than inspired, but Harry Belafonte's live-wire performance and a Black perspective on classic Western tropes make for a refreshing addition to the genre.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Mar 4, 2023

4/5

Poitier films himself magnificently as an elegant western vision, whether gliding smoothly by on horseback or stalking desert towns in a natty pink shirt. But the scene stealer is Harry Belafonte...

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Mar 1, 2023

4/5

A terrifically enjoyable western adventure bromance, packed with brio and breezy, unreflective energy and tilted to the lighter end of the tonal spectrum.

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Judith Crist

New York Magazine/Vulture

May 31, 2022

Send the kiddies to see this slick western with Sidney Poitier.

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Apr 11, 2023

Buck and the Preacher exists at an interesting point in Poitier’s career. It’s a revisionist western that could have never been made in the ‘60s. But it doesn’t go as far as some of its contemporaries, especially the blaxploitation films of the era.

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Feb 15, 2023

It’s part-Western, part-comedy with a twist of Black Power in a still-divided nation in which African-Americans were seen as the heroes in a genre that never gave a socially conscious idea of civil rights before.

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Sep 14, 2022

3.5/4

goes against the grain, rewriting one of Hollywood’s most storied genres—the Western—through the lens of neglected black history

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Luke M

Aug 27, 2017

Buck and the Preacher is an excellent film. It is about a wagon master and a con-man preacher who help freed slaves dogged by cheap-labor agents out West. Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte give incredible performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. Sidney Poitier also did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the adventure and drama. Buck and the Preacher is a must see.

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George L

Aug 13, 2017

I lost interest in a hurry with the contrived plot and pointless motivations.

Hermione W

Aug 14, 2015

Very good movie, great cast

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Sidney Poitier

Director

Sidney Poitier

Buck

Harry Belafonte

Preacher

Ruby Dee

Ruth

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Deshay

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Buck and the Preacher: Trailer 1

1:31

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Synopsis

Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck (Sidney Poitier) makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist, the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), joins the group, and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters, led by the fiendish Deshay (Cameron Mitchell), attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.

Director: Sidney Poitier
Producer: Joel Glickman
Screenwriter: Ernest Kinoy
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Belafonte Enterprises
Rating: PG
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 42m

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