Jack Black had a small role in a forgotten HBO western before his rise to fame

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Today, Jack Black is one of the most recognizable movie stars in the world. But before becoming such an appreciated figure, he had to progress like everyone else. During these years, he managed to ruin his small role in Sylvester Stallone’s sci-fi film “Demolition Man”, but he also managed to do a much better job with his equally brief appearance in the 1994 HBO western “Blind Justice.”

Black people continued to dominate Hollywood in 2025, with the box office success “A Minecraft Movie” and, more recently, appearing with Paul Rudd in the delightfully silly reboot “Anaconda.” But in the early 1990s, he was still a newcomer looking to break into the industry. He had been acting since the early ’80s, but it wasn’t until 1992’s “Bob Roberts” that he began to gain traction in films. It would be a while before he became the star we know today, but he was at least starting to make progress.

Unfortunately, when Black was cast in “Demolition Man,” he missed his chance to deliver a line, which would have been a significant step forward for the young actor. Fortunately, the following year, he managed to land a speaking role in “Blind Justice,” where he played a U.S. Cavalry soldier who gets beaten up by Armand Assante’s mysterious gunman, Canaan. Was it good? Not really. Was it a decent role for Black? Absolutely.

Memorably, Jack Black forgot (briefly) that he had starred in “The Holiday”, which also coincidentally made our own list of the most worth-watching Christmas movies. It’s unclear if he remembers his time on “Blind Justice,” but his role was pretty small, so if “The Holiday” fell through the cracks, I’m sure a long-forgotten HBO movie did as well. Perhaps that’s for the best, because while Black did a perfectly serviceable job playing a cavalry soldier in the post-Civil War United States, the rest of the film wasn’t exactly the kind of project he’d probably dreamed of making.

Two years before “Blind Justice” was released on HBO, Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” set a precedent as the best revisionist Western ever made. Unlike Eastwood’s 1992 triumph, however, the former wasn’t concerned with subverting long-standing tropes or delving deeper into a genre that had historically relied on simplistic dynamics between good guys and bad guys. I just wanted it to be a bit of fun and pulpy action.

The film was directed by British filmmaker Richard Spence (who worked almost exclusively in television for his entire career) and starred Armand Assante as Canaan, a nearly blind gunslinger who traverses the arid landscape of Mexico with a baby he hopes to deliver to an adoptive family in a small town. However, when he enters a border town, he discovers U.S. Cavalry officers being attacked by bandits led by Robert Davi’s Alacran. Elisabeth Shue, who soon after received an Oscar nomination for “Leaving Las Vegas,” played the lead role, while Black appeared midway and played only a handful of scenes. Fortunately, they are also some of the funniest moments in a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

John Stanley’s book “Creature Characteristics: The Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movies” claims “Blind Justice” was partly inspired by the DC comic book character Jonah Hex, who Josh Brolin has already played on screen. But while “Blind Justice” is arguably more worth your time than Brolin’s film, that’s not saying much. It’s not exactly a masterpiece, but it knows what it is and often has fun with its B-movie tone. (At one point, Canaan even grabs an opponent’s nether regions and asks, “How do you like your eggs? Scrambled?”)

Then there’s the Jack Black of it all. Unlike “Demolition Man,” young Black managed to squeeze in a few lines here and shared a few scenes with star Armand Assante. In one, his gunslinger Canaan demonstrates his razor-sharp abilities by catching flies out of the air despite being nearly blind, impressing Black’s soldier, who approaches Canaan in disbelief. Unfortunately, he then drops to his knees as Canaan tries to escape, knocking out Black’s soldier and giving him a strangely sensual pat-down before stealing the keys to his chains.

So yes, “Blind Justice” is not really one of the the best Jack Black films and his role is not one of the most memorable. But it was important to give the future superstar several lines and scenes with his leading man (who, a year after “Blind Justice,” would play the villainous Rico in ‘Judge Dredd,’ the Silliest Sci-Fi Movie to Predict Our Terrifying Present). That same year, Black was still playing small roles, but as the 1990s progressed, his star continued to rise. Finally, in 2000, the actor landed his long-awaited role as Barry Judd in “High Fidelity.”