The 24th

The 24th
Official poster
Directed by	Kevin Willmott
Written by	Kevin Willmott Trai Byers
Produced by	Jordan Fudge Alexandra Milchan Kevin Willmott Trai Byers
Starring	Trai Byers Bashir Salahuddin Aja Naomi King Mo McRae Tosin Morohunfola Mykelti Williamson Thomas Haden Church
Cinematography	Brett Pawlak
Edited by	Mollie Goldstein
Music by	Alex Heffes
Production company	New Slate Ventures
Distributed by	Vertical Entertainment
Release date	August 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)
Running time	113 min
Country	United States
Language	English

The 24th is an American historical drama film co-written and directed by Kevin Willmott. The film stars Trai Byers, Bashir Salahuddin, Aja Naomi King, Mo McRae, Tosin Morohunfola, Mykelti Williamson, and Thomas Haden Church. It generally tells a story of the Houston riot of 1917.^[1][2][3]

Plot

The 24th is based on the true story of the Houston riot of 1917. The film features an African American (A.K.A. Buffalo Soldiers) military unit, the 24th Infantry Regiment in Houston, Texas. Despite their military service, the African American soldiers are subjected to racial discrimination by the all-white police force in Houston as well as from the local white people in Houston. The constant racial discrimination leads to a riot and seizure of military weapons by the African American military unit against the police force and the white locals. The riot and resulting violence ended with multiple soldiers from the 24th being arrested and ultimately executed for mutiny.

Cast

• Trai Byers as Cpl. William Boston
• Aja Naomi King as Marie
• Bashir Salahuddin as Big Joe
• Mo McRae as Walker
• Tosin Morohunfola as Franklin
• Mykelti Williamson as 1Sgt. Hayes
• Thomas Haden Church as Lt. Col. Norton
• Tanya Chisholm as Alice
• Christopher W. Norris as Military Defense Attorney
• Michael Rose as Carter Hammond

Release

The film was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest festival,^[4] but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5] The film was released digitally and through video on demand on August 21, 2020, by Vertical Entertainment.^[6]

Critical response

The 24th received generally positive reviews from critics. As of October 2021^[update], 79% of the 28 reviews compiled on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The 24th might have told its fact-based story more fully, but despite its flaws, it remains an overall compelling -- and woefully overdue -- reckoning with history."^[7]

References

1. Fleming, Mike Jr (June 4, 2019). "'BlackKklansman' Co-Writer Kevin Willmott Gets Underway Directing 'The 24th', Drama On 1917 Houston Riot And Aftermath". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
2. "'The 24th': Trai Byers And Aja Naomi King To Star In Film On All-Black Infantry Regiment And 1917 Houston Riot". Shadow and Act. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
3. dandrews17. "The 1917 Houston Riots/Camp Logan Mutiny". Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
4. Erbland, Kate; Kohn, Eric (January 15, 2020). "SXSW 2020 Unveils Features and Episodic Premieres, Including Apatow's 'King of Staten Island' and 'Snowpiercer'". IndieWire. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
5. "Canceled by the coronavirus, SXSW Film Festival takes steps to help the movies". Los Angeles Times. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
6. Hipes, Patrick (July 29, 2020). "Kevin Willmott's 'The 24th' About 1917 Houston Riot Lands At Vertical Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
7. "The 24th (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.

External links

• The 24th at IMDb