Posse (1993 film)

Posse
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mario Van Peebles
Written by	Sy Richardson Dario Scardapane
Produced by	Preston Holmes Jim Steele
Starring	Stephen Baldwin Richard Gant Richard Jordan Big Daddy Kane Charles Lane Tiny Lister Tone Lōc Salli Richardson Blair Underwood Mario Van Peebles Reginald VelJohnson Billy Zane
Cinematography	Peter Menzies Jr.
Edited by	Mark Conte Seth Flaum
Music by	Michel Colombier
Production companies	Working Title Films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Distributed by	Gramercy Pictures
Release date	May 14, 1993 (1993-05-14)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.5 million[1]
Box office	$20 million[1]

Posse is a 1993 American Western film directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film tells the story of a posse of African-American soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The story starts with the group escaping with a cache of gold, and continues with their leader Jesse Lee (Mario Van Peebles) taking revenge on the men who killed his preacher father. The story is presented as a flashback told by an unnamed old man (Woody Strode). The title of the film refers to a group of people who are summoned to help law enforcement officers. This film was the first film to be released by Gramercy Pictures.

Melvin Van Peebles, the father of director Mario Van Peebles, recorded a new song, "Cruel Jim Crow", for the film. This marked his first music recording in 20 years, after his 1974 album What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?!^[2] It led to the production of a new album, Ghetto Gothic, released in 1995.^[2] The film takes the form of an extended memory, as told by Woody Strode, who witnessed some of the events as a young boy. Strode's opening narration, documenting early black settlers, continues his onscreen naming of individuals overlooked by history from the 1972 documentary Black Rodeo.