Cathay Williams makes everyone else seem small

I recently watched the historically inspired, but wholly fictional The Harder They Fall (2021). I am a fan of westerns and this one got me interested, but Jonathan Majors is a real life horrible person so I avoided it. Watching They Will Kill You with Zazie Beetz, brought me back to it. I decided to give it a shot after all, and I'm glad I did. Everyone in this movie shines, and most are significantly better than Majors. The biggest standout is Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Cuffee, inspired by Cathay Williams. Add in Zazie Beetz, who play the real life Stagecoach Mary and Regina King who plays the fictional Trudy Smith and you have three very strong women who stand out in this film. Cuffee is the best character in the film, in my opinion, and Danielle does an amazing job as her. I can recommend this movie to all because of it, the inclusion of majors notwithstanding.

Coincidentally, I happened upon the western Surrounded (2023) on Tubi as a movie that was leaving soon. The Harder They Fall created a bigger itch for another western and this one looked interesting so I decided to give it a shot. I had no idea that Cathay Williams inspired yet another character in Mo Williams in this film. This time Letitia Wright (most know her as Shuri from Black Panther) plays "Cathay," and the role is more significant as it's the main character. It is just as impactful as the previous iteration and just make you like the character even more. 

All of this to say, I learned who Cathay Williams was, but certainly not enough about her to really talk about this amazing woman. I have order a biography on her and will be reading it later this year. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone else out there to look up these movies, and see if they amaze you like they did me. If not, you're, at worst, watching two good westerns. 

I will give the warning that they are violent, They Harder They Fall more so, but not as bad as many other action/horror films out there.