If Sergio Leone had ever signed on to make a kind of ‘70s Blaxploitation oaters that when offered regular employment for Fred Williamson, it probably would have regarded and sounded very similar to “Outlaw Posse,” a wildly uneven however cumulatively entertaining shoot-‘em-up that finds Mario Van Peebles doing triple obligation as director, screenwriter and star. Quadruple obligation, truly, if you happen to rely his credit score as an government producer.

“Outlaw Posse” has nothing to do with Van Peebles’ earlier entry on this style, 1993’s wild and woolly “Posse,” which suggests the multitasking filmmaker is tipping his Stetson to the multitude of ‘60s Spaghetti Westerns that, ahem, borrowed titles and eponymous characters from higher recognized but completely unrelated horse operas. (Suppose Django, Ringo, Sartana, and many others.) However, then once more, perhaps not. Certainly, the movie will most likely be loved most by of us not given to undue consideration of such trifling issues as lineage, logic and arrant anachronisms.

It’s 1908, and Chief (Van Peebles) is launched as he’s mendacity low “someplace close to Mexico” a long time after stealing, then hiding, a cargo of Accomplice gold close to the top of the Civil Conflict. The passage of time has carried out little to decrease the self-assurance of his strut or the pace of his gunslinging prowess, which he demonstrates whereas making fast work of racist unhealthy guys who make the error of insulting him and a proud Native American in a seedy saloon. “I ain’t killed no one in a month of Sundays,” Chief says, nevertheless it’s apparent he hasn’t forgotten the way to make each bullet rely.

This seems to be merely a warm-up train for our hero, who figures it’s well beyond time for him to return to the mountains of Montana, the place he hid the aforementioned gold in an underground mine. Alongside the best way, Chief reconnects together with his “posse,” a multicultural group of buddies that features Carson (John Carroll Lynch), a conspicuously Caucasian former associate in crime; Spooky (DC Younger Fly), a sassy cabaret performer who know simply how far he can go whereas mocking white members of his viewers; Southpaw (Jake Manley), an aptly nicknamed left-handed fast draw; and Queeny (Amber Reign Smith), an previous flame whose purpose is true in terms of knife-throwing.   

Sadly, together with previous associates, he additionally attracts the eye of an previous enemy: Angel (William Mapother), a sociopathic bandit chief who misplaced a hand throughout a earlier encounter with Chief, leaving him with a brass substitute for his misplaced appendage and an unquenchable thirst for revenge. Angel schemes to trace down his nemesis — and, in fact, the hidden gold — by forcing Chief’s estranged grownup son, Decker (Mandela Van Peebles, Mario’s real-life offspring), to infiltrate his dad’s merry band. And simply to ensure Decker cooperates, Angel takes hostage Malindy (Madison Calley), the younger man’s classically skilled musician spouse, who’s pressured to function a private violinist for the Beethoven-loving villain. (A pleasant contact: Angel additionally employs his very personal biographer to trip alongside together with his gang and glorify his exploits. Hassle is, the pen isn’t mightier than the sword, or the six-gun.)

Outlaw Posse proceeds at one thing a bit slower than a full gallop, and incorporates extra subplots than it could adequately do justice. But it surely by no means feels boring, thanks in massive measure to the sport performances of well-cast supporting gamers in an ensemble that additionally consists of Edward James Olmos as a crochety common retailer proprietor; Cedric the Entertainer as mayor of Lil’ Heaven, a commune-like barter city that welcomes all ethnicities; and, particularly, Whoopi Goldberg because the Stagecoach Mary (a.ok.a. Mary Fields), a real-life Wild West icon who supplies transportation and dialog with equal measures of sagacious sass.

It helps so much that the impressively choreographed shootouts and different motion sequences are suitably rousing, and that each Mario and Mandela Van Peebles seem persuasively harmful even whereas cracking clever. By the best way: The 1993 “Posse” co-starred Melvin Van Peebles, Mario’s filmmaker father and director of the 1971 seminal blaxploitation traditional “Candy Sweetback’s Baadasssss Music.” (“Outlaw Posse” is devoted to his reminiscence.) Melvin gave Mario a small position in that movie — and now Mario has continued the household custom by casting Mandela on this one. And the beat goes on.

As is usually the case in revisionist Westerns, there are a number of too many scenes right here that smack of self-conscious social consciousness, and attempt to lend the fabric a weightiness that it doesn’t absolutely earn. Alternatively, it shouldn’t be stunning that Van Peebles is so intent on acknowledging the similarities of the injustices endured by ex-slaves, Native People and different exploited teams. In any case, this is identical man who bookended his 1993 “Posse” with an aged Woody Strode sarcastically noting that claiming Columbus found America and colonizers seized management of land is like saying he found your automobile in your driveway and drove off.