This simple-minded account of the Black Panther Party is insulting to anybody who ever admired the positive qualities of the organization or at the very least took their militancy seriously. Melvin Van Peebles wrote the thin script, and son Mario directs it with little of the penetrating and expansive sensibility necessary to understand the subject in its broadest context. The presence of a big cast with a lot of familiar names and faces--including real-life Panther contemporaries Jerry Rubin and Dick Gregory--give the project a false air of importance. <i>--Tom Keogh</i>
Viewer Reviews This movie came and went during its run in theaters due to its nature. But I feel that it was an honest attempt to tell the story of the most controversial party in America: the Black Panthers.
The story is based on the Panthers and how they came to be. The party gets frustrated with the police brutality in America and decide to defend themselves with weaponry.
The acting is pretty good all around: Marcus Chong is great as Huey P Newton, Judge is Kadeem Hardison's best performance on screen point blank period. The same goes for Bokeem Woodbine's character in this movie. The only flaw is that they leave out a few key elements that lead to their downfall but other than that I have no real gripe with this film. I thought that Mario Van Peebles did the best he could with the material he was given but we have to understand that movies are edited just like books are edited so certain information that might have made a difference in the story. You can always read about the Black Panthers if you want to know more about them. This movie is worthy of being in your collection despite the little flaws. If you can find it at a reasonable price, you can definitely check it out.
PS: to the sellers who are selling it for 164 and up are you high? Is the DVD made out of solid gold? Does it come with a Rolex watch? Thats grimy as hell man. No wonder people hate to buy films that are hard to find on here!
