Buck and the Preacher (The Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray) by Stuart Galbraith IV Teaming Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte for a Western focusing on the still largely-untold story of former black slaves in the American West sounds irresistible and seemingly unmissable. Unfortunately, Buck and the Preacher (1972), co-executive produced by the actors and directed by Poitier, isn't very good. Working from this premise, it would seem the filmmakers could have gone in one of two directions: a classical Western that just happened to star African-American actors, or a more probing, enlightening and historically accurate film about freed slaves and their struggles in the American west. Instead, the undernourished, almost sketchy script by Ernest Kinoy, primarily a television scribe of the Paddy Chayefsky/Rod Serling generation, tries to have it both ways, failing to satisfy on either count. Poitier, who took over the direction (his debut as such) after firing Joseph Sarge...Read the entire review »