Born in Guyana and raised in London, Letitia Wright is seen by many as one of the top rising stars of the big screen. She did several British TV shows on her ascendency, eventually getting her big break as Shuri in Black Panther and some of the following Marvel Cinematic Universe instalments. Now 30 years old, she’s in her prime and in the perfect place to take on some lead roles.
In 2023, she starred in and produced a Western film that may have passed a lot of people by. Going straight to streaming via MGM to Prime Video, Surrounded’s lack of cinematic presence, unfortunately, resulted in a lot of people missing the release and, as a result, missing out on one of Wright’s best showings to date.
The Westerns comeback
The Western setting has slowly been gaining popularity over the last decade. Kevin Costner’s Horizon saga has certainly been one of the big propellants of the movement, but big screen entries like Django Unchained, Bone Tomahawk, The Hateful Eight, Cowboys and Aliens, Hell or High Water, The Power of the Dog, and Killers of the Flower Moon have also contributed a great deal.
In other corners of entertainment, Westerns have also been rising. One of the most highly-anticipated and best-selling games of the last decade was Red Dead Redemption 2, and in online gaming, Wild West Gold Megaways takes prominence at the Megaways casino. In these products, it’s very much about adventuring into the North American wild lands, either as an outlaw in RDR2 or triggering the sunrise scatter for a bunch of free spins.
In most, Westerns feature one or two male leads. In Surrounded, Wright takes the lead, but her character does need to pose as a male in the story. So, not only did she need to learn a new Southern accent, which she delved into in a BuzzFeed interview, but also pretend to be a different sex. Not only does it showcase her acting ability rather well, but it also offers a unique tale in the setting.
A well-received showing from Wright
In post-production since early 2021, according to this Deadline article, there was always a chance that Surrounded wouldn’t get a release. It hit streaming directly, so it didn’t get the big opening night it probably was intended to get, but at least it’s out there. Among the few critics who have seen and reviewed Surrounded, most are on the side of positive.
Variety described Wright as “perfectly cast” and in a multifaceted character study of a story. The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, and Movie Nation all joined Variety by clocking in positive review scores, ranging from 60 to 80 on Metacritic. Throughout, Wright was tasked with moving between rather stark dispositions, from meek and subtle to rageful and even violent while standing guard over a captured outlaw.
Letitia Wright puts in a strong showing in Surrounded, and for fans of the British actress and the Western genre, it’s certainly one to get on the watch list.
