‘THE 24TH’ SHINES LIGHT ON TRAGIC HOUSTON STORY
TRAI BYERS AND AJA NAOMI KING STAR IN “THE 24TH.”
The Tulsa massacre of 1921 — in which the Black neighborhood known as the Greenwood District was burned to the ground — has moved from the far edges of American consciousness into mainstream visibility in the past year. However, still largely buried in the muck of history is a smaller but still deadly racial clash that took place four years earlier — this one in the stretch between downtown Houston and what’s now Memorial Park — called the Houston riot of 1917.
Director/writer Kevin Willmott — whose writing credits include “BlacKkKlansman,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “Chi-raq” — brings this historical footnote to light in “The 24th,” a well-made, solidly acted story of how the ceaseless cruelty and violence of Jim Crow led to an explosion of revenge that took down many in its path. According to the film, it led to the largest murder trial in U.S. history with 19 sentenced to death.
But things start on a slightly more optimistic note as the allBlack 3rd Battalion of the 24th United States Infantry Regiment arrives in Houston to guard the construction site of Camp Logan, a military installation and Army training camp the government is building as part of World War I. (Camp Logan was where Memorial Park is today, and if you’re wondering why you didn’t ever come across “The 24th” filming around town, it’s because the movie was actually shot in Charlotte, N.C.)
The U.S. armed forces were segregated then, with only white troops allowed to actually go into combat. But some African American soldiers are hopeful that if they show their mettle with the grunt work assigned to them, things will change. William Boston (Trai Byers, “Empire”), the son of abolitionists and a graduate of The Sorbonne in Paris, is one of them. He could have stayed in France, where he lived a comparatively charmed life, but he wanted to come back home and help instigate change here.
His worldliness, ability to speak French and code-switch immediately rubs many of his fellow soldiers the wrong way, especially Walker (Mo McRae, “Almost Family”) and battle-toughened Sgt. Hayes (Mykelti Williamson, “Chicago P.D.,” “Underground”). They especially don’t like that their white commander, Col. Norton (Thomas Haden Church), has taken a liking to Boston because he sees the young soldier as a bridge between the Black men in his charge and the wider Jim Crow world they now have to navigate.
But, in the Texas of 1917, all the soldiers found themselves on the same side, as they are subjected to indignity and humiliation wherever they go. The spark that sets off the spasm of violence is word that two of their own have been murdered by Houston police and that a white mob is on its way to their camp.
Willmott, who co-wrote the script with Byers, tells the story in a straightforward manner, keeping the focus on Boston’s growing disenchantment with the life choice he has made. While there are joys — such as his budding relationship with a local pianist named Marie (Aja Naomi King, “How to Get Away With Murder”) — there’s also the realization that he’s up against a system that is not going to change anytime soon, no matter how capable he and his compatriots are.
Sgt. Hayes says at one point that no one is innocent, referring to everyone involved — from the prejudiced townspeople to the well-meaning but ineffectual Col. Norton and even his own comrades in arms. It’s meant to puncture Boston’s pride and sense of purpose but it also underscores a moral ambiguity that makes “The 24th” more than just a story of honorable soldiers against evil racists. Does injustice justify violence?
All of this makes the final scenes especially moving, providing a haunting ending to a film that brings a tragic slice of Houston history to national attention.