The Man Who Came Back is a graphic and gruesome look into post Civil War America, depicted through the events of the second bloodiest labor strike massacre in United States history. It is the tale of Reese Paxton (Eric Braedon), a Confederate Civil War hero, and his endless struggles as a sympathizer for African Americans and their rights after attaining so-called “freedom” following the war.
The film, directed by New Orleans’ own efficacious screenwriter, Glen Pitre, begins in the dirty swamps of southern Louisiana when a band of local and recently freed African Americans strike because of their unfair and hostile treatment at the hands of local and crooked big bosses. When Paxton, the former plantation overseer, is dubbed by many of his hometown’s (Thibodeaux, Louisiana) inhabitants as a benefactor and defender of the former slaves, he is falsely convicted of lynching one of the “negroes” that his very conscious had convinced him to protect. After the consequences of Paxton’s supposed wrong doings affect his family, as well as himself, the story follows his many actions of revenge.
Though the film sets out initially to explore the many issues surrounding equality and civil rights in southern America during this highly controversial time period, it quickly becomes absorbed in the vengeful story of Reese Paxton. And while the film left me, at times, longing for a closer view of the several aforementioned problems, don’t allow yourself to believe that this story does not accomplish exactly what it sets out to do. The intrepid catch phrase alone, found on the movies cover (“Revenge was his only answer”), very appropriately summarizes what this entire film is all about.
In the end this film is a bold and daring window through which we may view the many horrors surrounding such a dark era that is often avoided and covered up. It is a successful and thoughtful depiction of one of our nations greatest travesties, and is a must see for any fans of Louisiana culture or good ole’ gritty westerns. Because the truth is that this is a western on the steroids called civil rights.
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