STORYLINE: A black major (Steve James) and his men are on the run from a rigged court martial and hide out in a small Georgia town where a cruel white sheriff is terrorizing the black population. Together with one strong-willed woman they formulate a bold plan to fight for freedom and human rights… (IMDb)

    In 1971 Richard Roundteee was on the case in Shaft.   Pam Grier went after the mob for revenge in Foxy Brown (1974).  Dolimite (1975) took on those who framed him.  The blaxploitation genre tends to be filled with fast paced, action packed, gritty stories. Riverbend, is a 1989 blaxploitation feature, in that vein.

    Recently, I attended a 6K restoration screening of the motion picture. (Yes, that’s suppose to read 6K, not 4K).  

   Prior to the screening I had never seen the movie. I must confess my viewings within the genre is limited. The Shaft Trilogy, Foxy Brown, Coffy (1973), the incredible feature The Spook who Sat by the Door (1973), and recently Sweet Sweetback’s Badasss Song (1971).  I am also making my way, slowly, through the Dolomite films.  Being able to expand that list, esp in a theatrical  setting, excites me.

   The setup for Riverbend is three army vets, on the run to avoid a court martial get involved in a small Georgia town’s racial tensions. They lead the fight against the racist leadership of the town. 

   The movie develops the racial tensions I would expect in such a story.  It has its moments of action, and a love story built into the story.  Their are powerful mimevts spread out through the movie.  The ending fell a bit short though, it was wrapped into a bit of a neat bow.

    While I enjoyed Riverbend, there are other feature films with in the genre I enjoyed more. The Spook who Sat by the Door was a more powerful movie.  Sweet Sweetback’s Badasss Song had a stronger intensity to it.

   The restoration on Riverbend looked good on the big screen. Some of that could be observation, bias, though. That’s because I prefer watching movies with big screen.  Full disclosure I do watch movies at home, and do enjoy collecting physical media

    In the end I did enjoy the movie, and enjoyed myself at the movie theater!

    Until next time, I will see you at the movies!