''Boss Nigger'' (also known as simply ''Boss'' and ''The Black Bounty Killer'') is a 1975 blaxploitation Western film directed by Jack Arnold, and stars former football player

Fred Williamson Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), also known as The Hammer, is an American actor and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s. Williamson is perhaps ...

, who both wrote and co-produced. ''Boss Nigger'' is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer.''Boss Nigger''
,

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

. Retrieved on May 5, 2007.

Plot

Upon finding a wagon under attack by bandits, two black bounty hunters, Boss and Amos (

and

D'Urville Martin D'Urville Martin (February 11, 1939 – May 28, 1984) was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become ''All in the ...

, respectively) intervene and save Clara Mae, a black woman (Carmen Hayworth). Upon inspecting the bodies, the bounty hunters find several have rewards to their name and one holds a letter from the mayor of the nearby town San Miguel inviting him to become

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

on the recommendation of fugitive Jed Clayton ( William Smith). The pair take Clara Mae to safety in San Miguel and meet Mayor Griffin ( R. G. Armstrong). Knowing that there is no sheriff and holding proof that the mayor intended to give it to a gang member, Boss is able to outsmart the mayor and intimidate other members of the town council into giving him the position. As sheriff, Boss and Amos keep the peace and enforce several "Black Laws" such as issuing fines or periods in jail for calling either of them a "nigger" in public. In his duties Boss meets Miss Pruit (

Barbara Leigh Barbara Leigh (born Barbara Ann Kish, November 16, 1946) is a former American actress and fashion model. Her breakthrough role came in 1972 with the film ''Junior Bonner'', which she starred alongside her then-boyfriend Steve McQueen. She later ...

), a white schoolteacher, who initially offends Boss by talking of the fond memories she has of her family's black

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, but earns his forgiveness and develops a romantic interest in him. When a gang of Jed Clayton's men meet the mayor in the town saloon to extort supplies from the town (an arrangement that the mayor allows on the understanding that the gang will do no harm to the town or its citizens), Boss and Amos kill one gang member and arrest two more - with one prisoner being killed as he attempts to escape town assisted by the mayor. Jed and his outlaws then attempt to help the imprisoned outlaw escape by blowing a hole in the prison wall using

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

. During the resulting raid on the town Clara Mae is kidnapped and taken away by Jed's men, while a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

child named Poncho (whom Boss had befriended) is killed. Boss attempts to meet Jed and his gang at their hideout but is himself kidnapped, tied to a pole, and tortured. When Jed leaves at night to meet with the mayor, Amos is able to rescue an injured Boss with the help of Clara Mae, taking him to Miss Pruit's house to recover. Knowing that Jed and his men will be riding through town the next day on their supply run, the bounty hunters plan an ambush. With the assistance of other residents such as the doctor and blacksmith of the town, Boss and Amos prepare by planting explosives around the town and take up firing positions out of sight. As the gang rides into town, they enter the cantina where Clara Mae is living. When she refuses Jed's advances, he murders her. They then move on to the town itself, while Boss and Amos launch their surprise attack. Boss follows Jed into the Saloon where they fight, and Boss finally kills Jed. As Boss steps outside, he is shot twice by Mayor Griffin, but manages to kill his attacker by throwing a knife into his chest. Now seriously wounded, Boss pleads with Amos to not let him "die in a white folks' town". Miss Pruit urges Boss to take her with him, though he declines. The movie concludes as Amos rides out of town with Boss towed on a wagon, his fate left ambiguous.

Critical analysis

Initial release

On its initial release, Vincent Canby of '' The New York Times'' described ''Boss Nigger'' as "a pleasant surprise if you stumble upon it without warning". Canby characterized Williamson's acting as "an immensely self-assured parody of the '' Man with No Name'' played by

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

in Sergio Leone's

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

". Vincent Canby,
'Boss Nigger,' Black Western, Proves a Surprise
, '' The New York Times'', February 27, 1975. Retrieved on May 5, 2007. Canby concluded his review by highlighting what made ''Boss Nigger'' notable among black Westerns: "Most black Westerns either ignore race or make it the fundamental point of the movie. ''Boss Nigger'' somehow manages to do both quite successfully."

Later critics

In its review of ''Boss Nigger'', written in 2007, ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' suggested that Williamson was parodying the violent roles he had played in other blaxploitation films. The review noted that ''Boss Nigger'' was notable for its "old-fashioned bloodless violence".Time Out Film Review — ''Boss Nigger''
'' Time Out Film Guide 13''. Retrieved on May 5, 2007. Writing in 2006, film critic Ryan Diduck described the marketing of ''Boss Nigger'' and other

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

films to black audiences as an example of " empowerment through an overturned representation of long-established agency limitations for black men". Diduck specifically cited the trailer for ''Boss Nigger'' for the manner in which it elicits feelings of black superiority and white hysteria and encourages the audience to identify with the outsider hero who finds himself at odds with the rules of white America.Ryan Diduck,
Of Race, Representation and Responsibility in Jenni Olson's ''Afro Promo''
, ''Offscreen'', Volume 10, Issue 2 (February 28, 2006). Retrieved on February 8, 2016.

William Smith on ''Boss Nigger''

In a 1998 interview, Smith spoke of his experience

filming Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of Film, motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (o ...

''Boss Nigger''. Smith, who is white, said that he never felt any racial tension, despite the fact that production took place during the height of the Black Power movement. He went on to describe the making of the film:

Release

''Boss Nigger'' was released in some areas under the title ''The Boss'' or ''The Black Bounty Killer''. A DVD of ''Boss Nigger'', simply titled ''Boss'', was released in 2008.VCI Entertainment
— Boss Nigger DVD info The blu ray was released in 2018.

References

External links

* * * {{Jack Arnold Blaxploitation films 1975 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films 1975 films Fictional African-American people African-American Western (genre) films Films directed by Jack Arnold Films shot in Arizona Dimension Pictures films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films