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In January 1923, the primarily black town of Rosewood, in Florida, was destroyed resulting in the deaths of several men. This occurred after a white woman claimed that a black drifter had assaulted her, sparking a series of lynchings and riots resulting in the subsequent destruction of the small town. Like the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, this is hardly ever mentioned or discussed and if it weren't for TV, I probably wouldn't have found out about it.
Rosewood follows the events, primarily focusing on Mann (Ving Rhames), a drifter that has returned from war with the intention of buying land and settling in. When a white woman is beaten by her white lover, she claims that a black man assaulted her, which sparks the anger and racism of the townspeople. Caught in the middle of it is John Wright (Jon Voight), a somewhat sympathetic store owner, and Sylvester Carrier (Don Cheadle), the head of a slightly affluent black family.
I remember seeing this film on rental stores back in the day, but never rented it. It was actually around 5 or 6 years ago that I ended up reading about the real-life incident, which made me curious about the film. The film has a lot of things on its favor, but unfortunately tries to lean more into action, with Mann as some sort of a "bad ass", which undercuts what could've been an effective historical drama.
Rhames does a pretty good job with what he's given, and so does most of the cast. However, the film succumbs under the pretenses of stereotypical Hollywood-esque sensibilities, instead of staying true to the story. That's not to say that the film isn't tragic or that horrific things aren't properly portrayed; They are, but everything is underserved by an uneven tone and a weak script.
But going back to my initial statement, if it wasn't for films like these, or TV shows like Watchmen, who know if I would've found out about tragedies like this. It is because of that, that filmmakers should realize the power of their work in current times, and the best way to honor the real-life victims is to present the events in the best way possible.
Grade:
ROSEWOOD
(1997, Singleton)
(1997, Singleton)
"I was born and raised in Rosewood. This here is my home. And I'll be damned if I let anybody run me off it."
In January 1923, the primarily black town of Rosewood, in Florida, was destroyed resulting in the deaths of several men. This occurred after a white woman claimed that a black drifter had assaulted her, sparking a series of lynchings and riots resulting in the subsequent destruction of the small town. Like the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, this is hardly ever mentioned or discussed and if it weren't for TV, I probably wouldn't have found out about it.
Rosewood follows the events, primarily focusing on Mann (Ving Rhames), a drifter that has returned from war with the intention of buying land and settling in. When a white woman is beaten by her white lover, she claims that a black man assaulted her, which sparks the anger and racism of the townspeople. Caught in the middle of it is John Wright (Jon Voight), a somewhat sympathetic store owner, and Sylvester Carrier (Don Cheadle), the head of a slightly affluent black family.
I remember seeing this film on rental stores back in the day, but never rented it. It was actually around 5 or 6 years ago that I ended up reading about the real-life incident, which made me curious about the film. The film has a lot of things on its favor, but unfortunately tries to lean more into action, with Mann as some sort of a "bad ass", which undercuts what could've been an effective historical drama.
Rhames does a pretty good job with what he's given, and so does most of the cast. However, the film succumbs under the pretenses of stereotypical Hollywood-esque sensibilities, instead of staying true to the story. That's not to say that the film isn't tragic or that horrific things aren't properly portrayed; They are, but everything is underserved by an uneven tone and a weak script.
But going back to my initial statement, if it wasn't for films like these, or TV shows like Watchmen, who know if I would've found out about tragedies like this. It is because of that, that filmmakers should realize the power of their work in current times, and the best way to honor the real-life victims is to present the events in the best way possible.
Grade: