Film Review: ‘Surrounded’

SURROUNDED, the movie is an Action-Western cinematic project released by famed American film director, music video director, television commercial director, photographer, and BLACK HAND Cinema Director, Anthony Mandler. SURROUNDED, the movie is a rated-R film with a runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes.

The stars include Letitia Wright as ‘Mo Washington’; the ‘Bounty Hunter’ played by late Michael K. Williams; Jeffery Donovan as ‘Wheeler’ and Brett Gelman as, ‘Mr. Fields’. Producers for SURROUNDED include Letitia Wright, Anthony Mandler, Aaron L. Gilbert, Ade O’Adesina, Jason Michael Berman, and Derek Iger; writers include Andrew Pagana and Justin Thomas. 

Surrounded takes place in 1870, five years after the end of the Civil War. Slavery was newly abolished but racial tensions were at an all-time high. A former soldier, Mo Washington, an African American woman, disguises herself as a man while traveling west to lay claim to a gold mine she collected after serving in the war. During her uncomfortable commute, riding on the rear end of a stagecoach, thieves ambush the stagecoach and plundered their cargo until one passenger decides to fight back. A bloody showdown takes place between the passengers and the marauders; lives are lost, horses, cargo, and their vitality; many are wounded, if not dead. The surviving passengers round up the infamous Tommy Walsh and Mo Washington is forced to guard the legendary outlaw from escaping while the surviving passengers venture out to look for medical aid and a Sherriff to collect for the bounty on Walsh’s head. Chained to a tree in the middle of mountainous terrain, wild animals, and volatile weather conditions, the two engage in mental and physical tufts of opposing wills; blurring the line between who is truly being held captive, as both try to survive the harsh landscape, the reality of their lives and each other.

What makes SURROUNDED a great film is the lead character’s struggle in relation to the world around her. Mandler delves into conflict on multiple levels and masterfully uses opposing agendas to create chaos, in search for resolve. The film shared the True Story of a black woman in the wild west, venturing out to stake her claim in the world, alone, amidst the conflict and obstacles set before her. The striking comparisons of her internal dialogues, personal hopes, and the outside forces that come against her way to afford herself a better life are clear and evident. 

Watching the character endure the hardships of societal pressures, and influences; realizing the difficulties of escaping the interruptions that foil her plans along the way make the character relatable in more ways than racial barriers. Mandler places equal focus on her struggle, allowing us to witness and empathize with her lonesomeness and distrust as Washington never knows who is the ally and who is the foe; who is willing to destroy her for their personal agenda. There is a refreshing return to her faith, more often than less, as Mo Williams (Wright) is placed in situations where discerning between right and wrong could mean life or death. 

Viewers will notice that Mandler presents a film that is visually mesmerizing, incorporating his impeccable eye for artistry, he never shies away from natural vignettes in the film’s setting on location to the silhouette shots of Letitia’s character against the light of the dancing flames and the rising sun. The film is powerful in its imagery and provokes empathy in its themes. The film also highlights the “soft life”, that wasn’t often afforded to women of color. At the opening of the film, Wright’s character attempts to take a seat in the buggy of the stagecoach after paying her travel fare. She is swiftly redirected by the driver who places preferential treatment on the comforts of the white female and male passengers, as she is toted on the back with the luggage. However, an interesting twist of events offers an exchange for the luxuries of “sitting pretty”, with her ability to survive the tussle between the outlaws and the traveling party, ultimately saving her own life with her acquired during her hard life. Other themes that arise in the film shine a light on class differentiations, gender roles, spirituality, geography, and historical facts surrounding civil unrest.

SURROUNDED, the movie is released on June 20th, 2023, and will be available for streaming on MGM Plus. I highly recommend watching this film and experiencing a twist of the wild west told through the barrel of a gun-slinging black girl.