"Belizaire the Cajun" is a relatively low budgeted film filmed in Louisiana at a site where an early Cajun settlement was recreated. It stars Armand Asante as Belizaire, a decent fellow who is caught up in some hateful times...and it's about his efforts to remedy the situation using his brains and, occasionally, brawn.
The story is set just a few years before the US Civil War and the plot seems to mirror much of what happened in the post-war South. A group of 'concerned citizens' have taken it upon themselves to form a vigilante committee in order to rid their community of so-called 'undesirables'...mostly poor folks. Like the later KKK, they arrive at night on horseback en masse and announce to these undesirables that the committee has decided they are guilty of crimes (despite the law no prosecuting them) and the parties have a few days to collect their belongings and leave the state...or else. Good natured Belizaire is horrified to see his friends threatened and the film is about his efforts to stop this madness.
The best thing about the film is Asante's nice depiction of the title character. He effects a nice Cajun accent and is very good in the lead. My only problem with the film is that it really could use captions, as the accents and dialect are at times VERY difficult to understand.
The story is set just a few years before the US Civil War and the plot seems to mirror much of what happened in the post-war South. A group of 'concerned citizens' have taken it upon themselves to form a vigilante committee in order to rid their community of so-called 'undesirables'...mostly poor folks. Like the later KKK, they arrive at night on horseback en masse and announce to these undesirables that the committee has decided they are guilty of crimes (despite the law no prosecuting them) and the parties have a few days to collect their belongings and leave the state...or else. Good natured Belizaire is horrified to see his friends threatened and the film is about his efforts to stop this madness.
The best thing about the film is Asante's nice depiction of the title character. He effects a nice Cajun accent and is very good in the lead. My only problem with the film is that it really could use captions, as the accents and dialect are at times VERY difficult to understand.