When I hear the word “Western” as it applies to movies, I don’t think of location as such, but rather of era and attitude. As much as I love it, the TV show “Yellowstone” is not a Western. Yes, it features feuding cowboys and Native Americans and is set in the West, but in the end, it’s a well-executed, high-end soap opera set in the present day.
Director Anthony Mandler’s brilliant “Surrounded” is everything and more than dedicated fans of Westerns could possibly want or expect. It is a throwback in every sense of the word and could have been produced at any point in the last 70 or so years by the likes of John Ford, Howard Hawks, or Clint Eastwood.
Cathay Williams
You might think that Mandler and screenwriters Andrew Pagana and Justin Thomas are pushing the bounds of believability regarding Mo’s tenure in the Army, but there was a real woman (Cathay Williams) who posed as a man and served not only as a buffalo soldier in the Civil War but also in the Indian Wars. It is entirely possible the filmmakers based the Mo character on Williams.It’s clear early on as to why Mo is paranoid and perpetually on guard. At a saloon, she’s forced to temporarily relinquish her pistol. The same thing happens when boarding the coach bound for Colorado. Adding insult to injury, the bigoted driver Curly (Kevin Wiggins) orders Mo to ride in the back with the luggage even though there’s room for her in the coach.
This turns out to be something of a blessing as Mo sees an approaching band of outlaws long before Curly does, which, of course, is too late. Led by the infamous Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell), the marauders are looking only to steal, but as things often did in the Wild West, the situation escalates and brief mayhem ensues.
When the dust settles, Mo and fellow passenger Wheeler (Jeffrey Donovan) are able to subdue Walsh just long enough to chain him to a tree. A veiled threat delivered by Curly essentially forces Mo to guard Walsh for the night while he and Wheeler can get back to town and return with the law and a doctor.
Chamber Piece
At this point, we’re less than 25 minutes into the movie and the next 50 minutes more or less is presented as a two-person chamber piece. In the wrong hands, this type of scenario can grow tiresome in quick order, yet Mandler (whose résumé is populated mostly with music video credits) and editor Ron Patane never let things stall.Even though he has a seemingly endless desert panorama with which to work, Mandler rarely strays more than 20 feet away from the tree. Multiple camera angles and sharp, concise dialogue certainly help, but showing two people talking for close to an hour (with one of them not having much to say) is (in theory) as anticinematic as it can get, yet the exact opposite is the case here.
Far more astute and perceptive than he may initially appear, Tommy is a master at reading Mo and even better at pushing her buttons. He preys on her emotions and fears, tries to bribe her, then charms her, and comes close to succeeding on one occasion to having her free him.
Showing up in the middle of the night and attempting essentially what Tommy has been doing for hours on end is Will Clay (the late Michael K. Williams in his final screen role). Well-dressed and possessing a silver tongue, Will makes several claims during his stay, but makes the dire mistake of straying just slightly from his initially believable story.
A Great Role
For Wright, a role such as Mo is something every performer relishes. Yes, it’s great appearing in high-profile, high-paying comic book flicks, but these movies offer little room to actually hone and improve one’s acting chops. Wright’s performance as Mo could be the role that might catapult her onto Hollywood’s A-list.What’s that phrase? It’s preferable to be a big fish in a small pond than the other way around.
You better believe it.
