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Buck and the Preacher

Play trailer 1:31 Poster for Buck and the Preacher PG 1972 1h 42m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck (Sidney Poitier) makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist, the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), joins the group, and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters, led by the fiendish Deshay (Cameron Mitchell), attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.
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Buck and the Preacher

Buck and the Preacher

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Critics Consensus

Sidney Poitier's directorial debut may be more steady than inspired, but Harry Belafonte's live-wire performance and a Black perspective on classic Western tropes make for a refreshing addition to the genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Mar 4, 2023
4/5
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... Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Mar 1, 2023
4/5
A terrifically enjoyable western adventure bromance, packed with brio and breezy, unreflective energy and tilted to the lighter end of the tonal spectrum. Go to Full Review Judith Crist New York Magazine/Vulture May 31, 2022
Send the kiddies to see this slick western with Sidney Poitier. Go to Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture Apr 11, 2023
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. Go to Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film Feb 15, 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. Go to Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Sep 14, 2022
3.5/4
goes against the grain, rewriting one of Hollywood’s most storied genres—the Western—through the lens of neglected black history Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jennifer F @HeyitsmeJen Jul 30, 2026 Great Movie ! My husband and I really enjoyed watching it !!! Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte make a great team in this movie … we highly recommend … there’s brief nudity cause you get to see Harry’s bum, however, it’s TRUE to characterize what it would be like in those days just after the civil war… God bless all those who helped these humans to find peace instead of being property See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 20, 2026 Funny in 1 hour and 42 minutes. See more j F. @LiberteBurrows Jul 30, 2025 Belafonte is crazy good See more Nov 12, 2023 Really good western here Sidney Poitier did an excellent job. Highly recommended James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas November 11, 2023. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Aug 1, 2023 I expected a lot more given the talent and story. See more delysid d @RT67044741 Dec 17, 2021 so funny to see 70s black folks in the old west See more Read all reviews
Buck and the Preacher

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Cast & Crew

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Sidney Poitier

Director

Sidney Poitier

Buck

Harry Belafonte

Preacher

Ruby Dee

Ruth

Cameron Mitchell

Deshay

Nita Talbot

Madam Esther

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Buck and the Preacher

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Buck and the Preacher

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Movie Info

Synopsis Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck (Sidney Poitier) makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist, the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), joins the group, and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters, led by the fiendish Deshay (Cameron Mitchell), attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.
Director
Sidney Poitier
Producer
Joel Glickman
Screenwriter
Ernest Kinoy
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Belafonte Enterprises
Rating
PG
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Runtime
1h 42m
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