Rating: 
Summary: Surreal Blaxploitation Flick
Review: If you like art films from the late sixties like Easy Rider, If, Blow Up and Zabriskie Point you will like this film. It comes across as a bunch of disconnected vignettes meant to show how white society cannot tolerate a strong black man in its midst and will ultimately kill him for it. It lags at times, there are endless scenes of Sweet Sweetback running through the city and the desert to escape the police, but the musical soundtrack is cool and the visuals are trippy. A very important if somewhat dated film.
Rating:
Summary: On the run from an all-white jury...
Review: In 1971, Melvin Van Peebles managed to get this little gem released by Cinemation Industries, a low-budget exploitation distributor and launched into theatres, consequently launching what would come to be known as Blaxpoitation at the same time. True, there were other black films before this one, but never one like it, and really, there never would be again.Melvin van plays Sweetback, a professional stud who works live sex shows, who is picked up by the cops to help them look as though they are working on a murder case. But when, the cops stop to rough up a revolutionary, Sweetback suddenly develops revolutionary ideas of his own and beats up the cops with his own handcuffs and goes on the run. That's essentially it, and what may seem boring, dated, disgusting and/or silly to most people, was some radical stuff back in 71. [...] It's radical enough now, you ain't ever seen a film like this! During his travels, Sweetback encounters all kinds of opposition (cops, biker gangs, posses etc), sees all kinds of places in the ghetto (baptist churches, rat-infested tenements, and finally the dessert)and is subjected to all kinds of experimental film making (colour tints, subjective shots, weird angles, freeze-frames etc.) What makes this film so different and exciting for me, is that having obviously been made with private money and many, many miles away froma studio, it can and does push the politics and revolutionary rhetoric right in your face and believe me it does! It is little wonder that Huey Newton (supposedly) made this required viewing for the Black Panther Party and that within a short time films like Shaft, Superfly and their clones were filling the cinemas on 42nd Street. Unlike the legions of films that followed this, which became more and more watered down copies of the central idea of this film (that a black man can take on his oppressors and actually win), this film is the REAL DEAL and power to van Peebles for having the guts and wherewithall to get his vision splashed across the screens.
Rating: 
Summary: Should Be Rated PT for Pure TRASH!
Review: In a way, this film is hilarious. Director Melvin Van Peebles (and Black Panther head honcho Huey Newton in his book "To Die For the People") foolishly tried to pass this mess off as a revolutionary flick. In reality, it is straight up pornography with some anti-cop violence thrown in for good measure. What a con job! So male prostitution and killing up the police is supposed to free somebody or make life better for oppressed people? Get real! If oscenity is defined as having "no redeeming social value," then this is it!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Powerful
Review: Madd Props Too Melvin Van Peebles he Pioneered a New Way of Film Making.not too mention featuring My All-Time Favorite Group Earth,Wind&Fire.this Film is a Cult Classic.it's a Powerful Black Film.Very Important.MR.Peebles is one of the Greatest Creative Minds in Film History.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweetback conquers White Amazon in Sex contest!
Review: One of the most memorable scenes in the movie and for me is Sweetbacks forced duel with White Amazon Biker queen BIG SADIE. Although Sweetback is terrified at first when surrounded by White Bikers and threatened for 'tresspassing' on their turf, he quickly regains his composure and puts on a graphic demonstration on how to lay pipe to a big white amazon. He ultimately copulates with this Big giant of a woman so successfully until she screams uncontrollably in orgasmic ecstacy calling out Sweetbacks name and urging him to srew her even harder! Now, that is total domination! In lieu of the circumstances this unlikely hero was in he is lucky to have escaped with his life. This movie made on a guerilla budget has to be credited with launching the rebirth of the Black film industry in America. It shocked white Hollywood into the realization that large budgets don't always mean success. My hat is off to Melvin Van Peebles for creating this crude masterpiece with its surreal photography as a gem of urban film making.
Rating:
Summary: this movie roxxx!!!
Review: Psychedelic jesus-metaphor flick. First and greatest Blaxploitation flick. Earth Wind and Fire Soundtrack. Can't go wrong here, my friend.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: The first important thing to note, is that this movie was rated X originally by an "all-white" jury. Anyone that views this movie and thinks it's a movie about porn or sex, has totally missed the entire theme. If you see this movie as a movie revolving around sex,I suggest you watch it a second time because the entire storyline;with all of its creative symbolism, went over your head. In his book,To Die for the People, Huey P. Newton eloquently breaks down the symoblism of this movie and how it relates to society. So, for those who may have trouble understanding the true meaning of this movie, pick up the book to help you through.
Rating:
Summary: Breaking the mold... literally !
Review: The most important thing to understand about this film is that if you're getting it just because you expect to live up the expectations of its genre... you better not... in fact, that was the debate over Sweetback for years : what was it ? the world's first blaxsploitation film or the world's first black social empowerment movie, a black porno flick or deep social satire ??? B-move trash or a brilliantly inspired art movie... - - The truth is, the strength and weakness of SWEETBACK is that its really all of this, but if you're expecting it to meet the mold of any one of these genre's you'll be disappointed... and that's part of the fun of the film... getting past the shock to see the message, and the message to dig the shock... and just riding along with Sweetback (EWF's soundtrack definitely makes that part easy !) With its gritty, funky tale and soundtrack, ample booty, controversial story no doubt that there's something in it to both appease and offend just about anyone that watches it... so the best thing to do is put it like this : SWEETBACK is a genre all of its own... just sit and watch it in suspended judgement and disbelief... watch it, again and again and again... Depending upon who you are you'll either find it tasty and addictive... or... well, revolting and disgusting... whatever... the fact is when you watch it there's one thing you won't come away seeing, "Man this film reminds me of a film I've seen 100 times before..." Nope... no one really did it before Peebles, and no one (despite all the films it inspired) did it after and that's why you should see it... but again... don't expect Shaft, Rudy Ray Moore or Superfly... that's not what the film is about... and whatever you do DO NOT WATCH IF EASILY OFFENDED... Now, on with the *****ing contest ! ! !
Rating:
Summary: This film is for people who can appreciate independent films
Review: This is a great film. The story line isn't completely coherent, but the cinematography is great, the soundtrack is great and the cast is great. The film edits and audio layering are so seventies but, so sweet; reminiscent of seventies porn (I'm not even talking about the sex scenes). I'm really glad I picked this one up. This film is for people who can appreciate independent films.
Rating:
Summary: This film is for people who can appreciate independent films
Review: This is a great film. The story line isn't completely coherent, but the cinematography is great, the soundtrack is great and the cast is great. The film edits and audio layering are so seventies but, so sweet; reminiscent of seventies porn (I'm not even talking about the sex scenes). I'm really glad I picked this one up. This film is for people who can appreciate independent films.
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