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.

| Apr 11, 2023

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...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 4, 2023

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

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 1, 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.

| Feb 15, 2023

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

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 14, 2022

Far from a simplistic “black vs. white” actioner.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 27, 2022

They could have made a whole franchise out of "Buck and the Preacher."

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 25, 2022

More than a "Black power Western" in that it's impossible to separate the message from the movie, yet the message is so much fun to watch and the performances are so enjoyable that it's easy to become absorbed in watching it.

| Aug 22, 2022

Poitier's directorial debut wears its historical import lightly, with an easy humor that confounded more than a few critics.

| Aug 19, 2022

A solid western in its own right and an important film in African American cinema, with a healthy blend of western action, comedy and social commentary drama. [Criterion Blu-ray]

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 19, 2022

Thanks to the abilities possessed by Poitier, he’s able to make this all come together. Buck and the Preacher works as an entertaining western that doesn’t have to go out of its way to comment on America.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2022

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

| May 31, 2022

A lively entertainment underlined by some stinging social comment. It also marks the initial joint appearance of Poitier and Belafonte on the screen and is Poitier's debut as a film director. Both are auspicious firsts.

| May 31, 2022

Buck and the Preacher is worth seeing for a refreshingly different view of the West, as well as for the pure entertainment of seeing a good adventure story and some talented actors.

| May 31, 2022

Buck and the Preacher does make some comments about man's inhumanity and greed, [but] it is not a message movie. It is good Western movie entertainment.

| May 31, 2022

A sad piece of outdoor history, this, despite Harry Belafonte's bouncy performance as a bogus preacher, Poitier's dependability as wagonmaster, and a good many long horse chases.

| May 31, 2022

It is also to Poitier's credit both as director and star that he's willing to allow Belafonte to chew up the scenery and steal the acting honors with an hysterical, outrageous performance.

| May 31, 2022

Mr. Belafonte pulls out all the stops. Made up with decaying teeth, which he proudly displays in great grins, he delivers the most beguiling performance of his career without singing a single song.

| May 31, 2022

A modest entertainment made intriguing by the race element.

| May 31, 2022

Action entertainment that's eye-opening and thought-provoking, too.

| May 31, 2022