Chris Duncan
Surrounded feels like a film that should have more buzz around it. The film, directed by Anthony Mandler, starring Letitia Wright and Jamie Bell, also features Michael K. Williams in his final film appearance. It has some names behind it! Maybe not the biggest names in Hollywood, but surely a collection of talent that warrants more discussion. And beyond that, it is a superbly well done western thriller that merges spectacle, character, and meaning in effective ways.
The film, set in 1870 in the American West, centers on Mo Washington (Wright), a young drifter traveling west in search of the property her family had been granted after being released from slavery. Mo, passing as a man, buys a ticket on a stagecoach heading toward her destination, but her journey is interrupted when a gang of bandits holds them up, led by the supposedly infamous Tommy Walsh (Bell).
Mo and the stagecoach party end up restraining Walsh, but Mo is left alone with him while the rest of the party heads to town to get the law. Most of Surrounded sees the two left alone to reckon with and learn about each other, and this is where the film really comes into its own.
On a visual level, Surrounded is a treat. Shot mostly on Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Mandler and cinematographer Max Goldman rightfully take plenty of opportunities to show off its stunning landscapes. The film’s action, moreover, is also well done; an early sequence involving the aforementioned stagecoach stands out as a thrilling fast-paced set piece. The film ranges from wide open landscapes to tight, tense chases through narrow woods and canyons, all shot well with clarity and imagination. The film’s night photography, too, deserves mention. The film makes excellent use of darkness to create an eerie mood.
Wright’s acting is the majority of the movie, surely a lot of pressure, but she rises to the occasion and delivers an excellent performance. She’s given lots of monologuing to do, some of which could come off as exceedingly preachy to the point that it grinds the film’s momentum to a halt. In the hands of a lesser actor, that might have been the case, but Wright makes it look easy. It’s an excellent performance not just for how good Wright does in the role, but for how she carries so much of the film on her shoulders and helps its script reach its high potential.
Surrounded‘s supporting cast deserves plenty of credit as well. Jamie Bell compliments Wright’s character well and the two play off each other in interesting ways, and his performance packs in plenty of machismo and strength masking an inner anger and resentment. Small parts from Brett Gelman and Jeffrey Donovan are also notable, with Gelman in particular using his very brief screen time to bring an expectedly quirky persona to the film.
Walsh represents a worldview that Mo seems to teeter on the edge of falling into, a resignation to the idea that this country will never really reward Mo for following the rules. The audience is constantly faced with this question, and often one might wonder what exactly is holding Mo back from cutting loose from her supposedly righteous mission and bringing Walsh in for her own reward, or letting him go in exchange for a bribe.
The late, great Michael K. Williams, of course, also shows up for a brief but powerful appearance as an unexpected visitor. These supporting characters, among others, are constantly presenting Mo with questions and opportunities to break from her one simple task of keeping Tommy captive. Wright makes Mo’s conflict clear, moreover, without even needing to verbalize it most of the time.
In this way, furthermore, Surrounded‘s script from Andrew Pagana and Justin Thomas does a great job of weaving the complex web of choice and morality that Mo faces in a world that treats her as lesser than everyone else. Michael K. Williams’ character also represents a pivotal element of this dilemma, although to say any more would probably give too much away. He is a welcome appearance though, and a reminder of a great character actor and individual lost too soon.
Surrounded is, in essence a very well-executed if relatively conventional modern western. Everything that makes a good western good is there, and it has something important to say about racial politics. It might not be the most profound message out there, but it is one worth conveying, and one that Surrounded carries to great dramatic effect.
