Watch Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 independent film directed, written, produced by and starring Melvin Van Peebles. The film is considered the first "blaxploitation" film, a genre of films in the 1970s that focused on themes of black empowerment and featured primarily black casts. The film tells the story of Sweetback, a black man working as a prostitute in Los Angeles. After he witnesses two white police officers brutally beating a young Black Panther, Sweetback decides to take action and intervenes. In doing so, he inadvertently kills one of the police officers and becomes a wanted man.

As Sweetback flees from the police, the film becomes a journey of self-discovery, as he tries to find a way to escape the law and gain a sense of his own identity. The film is notable for its non-linear narrative and unconventional visual style, which includes jump cuts and grainy footage.

The film was made on a very low budget, with Van Peebles often having to borrow money to keep the production going. Despite this, the film was a commercial success, grossing over $10 million at the box office.

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is also significant for its cultural impact, as it helped to create a new era of black cinema. It was a symbol of black resistance and empowerment at a time when the Civil Rights movement was beginning to lose momentum.

The film was also controversial for its explicit sexual content and graphic violence, which led to it being banned in some parts of the United States. Nevertheless, it enjoyed critical acclaim and has since been recognized as a groundbreaking film.

In addition to Van Peebles, the film stars Hubert Scales as Beetle, Sweetback's friend and confidant, and John Dullaghan as the police officer Sweetback kills. The film also features an unforgettable score by Earth, Wind & Fire and a cameo by Van Peebles' son, Mario Van Peebles.

Overall, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a landmark film that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in cinema and paved the way for a new era of black storytelling. Its message of black empowerment resonated with audiences then and continues to do so today.

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 37 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.5 and a MetaScore of 71.