Movie Review - Bull (2020)

Around the time of the release of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012) and the subsequent release of Tarantino's The Hateful Eight (2015), there was a little bit of a discussion around the idea of the African-American cowboy or the black cowboy. The Western genre had died in cinema about 30 or 40 years ago, but, during its height in the 60's and 70's, it didn't really feature a lot of African-American actors in leading roles. In cinema, the idea of a cowboy is that he's a heroic gunslinger and law-enforcer or vigilante, but cowboys in reality where men or women who lived on farms or worked on ranges, herding animals like cattle and sheep in the western part of the United States, or its Midwest or south. As such, there must be tons if not millions of African-American people who are cowboys or grew up around and who are deeply steeped in cowboy culture.

Yet, most depictions of cowboys nowadays or most depictions of cowboy culture come from country music, which is dominated by white people. The Grand Ole Opry has iconic status in country music and there have been only three black people who have been members of the Grand Ole Opry, that of DeFord Bailey, Charley Pride and Darius Rucker. This means that it's only been those three black people who have been able to rise in country music. Rucker who is the youngest of the three hasn't really done anything that has risen to mainstream status in about a decade, but, even at his height with Hootie & the Blowfish in the 90's, the idea of African-Americans in cowboy culture or this country space didn't start to make the breakthrough as it's doing now. Starting with Beyoncé's album Lemonade (2016) and its song "Daddy Lessons" did this concept of the Yeehaw Agenda start to get traction, culminating with the success of Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road" in 2018 and 2019. The Yeehaw Agenda is the trend to reclaim black cowboy culture. This film could be considered a strong entry in that Yeehaw Agenda.

Rob Morgan (Just Mercy and Mudbound) stars as Abe Turner, a professional bull rider or PBR, living in Houston, Texas, which is also the hometown of Beyoncé. He doesn't live in the city proper. He lives in Waller County, which is the northern outskirts of the city. He lives near a lot of ranches out there where farmers are raising or have access to cattle and bovine. He makes his living working for rodeos. Rodeos are an important and popular sport in Texas. The biggest one is in Houston, but Abe works for a lot of smaller ones. Abe is clearly in his late 40's or early 50's and like any athlete in that age range, he's perhaps too old and the injuries, as well as the wear-and-tear on his body is getting to be a bit indomitable.

Having not seen many sports films, I can't name too many that are about an aging athlete who is perhaps past his prime, still trying to hold onto it, still trying to compete in a highly physical activity that is very demanding on the body. Most sports films are about team sports that are very physical, so a man still playing past the age of 50 would be rare. However, it would be less rare for an individual sport like bull riding or rodeo. It might also be the case for sports like golf or boxing, which aging athletes have been touched upon in films like Tin Cup (1996) and Rocky Balboa (2006). But, beyond the age aspect, the more important aspect is Abe's injuries. Many sports films or TV shows have explored the idea of an athlete of any age, even young age, endeavoring to continue playing despite having injuries, even a serious one. One similar film in that regard is Chloé Zhao's The Rider (2018). This film, directed by Annie Silverstein, is operating on the same level as Zhao's, the same almost neorealistic feel.

Amber Havard in her feature debut co-stars as Kris, a 14-year-old girl who lives with her grandmother and younger sister down the street from Abe. She and her sister came to live with her grandmother after her mother was put into prison for an unnamed crime, but her mother's sentence doesn't appear to be that long. Yet, her mom seems to have trouble not staying out of trouble, even while in prisont. Kris' visits to her mom reminded me of similar scenes in the recent The Mustang (2019). Kris is coming-of-age and her interactions with other teenagers, especially boys, is having an effect on her. She's also old enough to recognize the poverty in which she resides. She's quiet and reserved, as she tries to find herself and find her identity. However, she struggles while navigating where she's supposed to fit.

In some ways, Kris' experiences would make this film akin to Matthew Gordon's The Dynamiter (2012). There's also bits of Debra Granik's Winter's Bone (2010) and Eliza Hittman's It Felt Like Love (2013) in terms of the female coming-of-age aspects. In terms of exposing the opioid epidemic and exposing how women, especially young women, have to engage in that epidemic from the supply side in order to survive, there's also bits of Nia DaCosta's Little Woods (2019).

If you take away the Yeehaw Agenda, there have been a number of films that have depicted life for black people in rural areas like in the south. There have been documentaries that have done so like the Oscar-nominated Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018). There have been narrative films, such as Burning Cane (2019), Dayveon (2017), Mississippi Damned (2009) and Ballast (2008). Unlike those aforementioned films, this one doesn't center exclusively on the black experience. Kris is a white girl. There is of course a minor current of the racial tension or outright racism that persists even in the era of smart phones.

Not Rated but contains language, graphic nudity, sexual situations and drug use.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 49 mins.

Available on Hulu.