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06/20/08
Killer of Sheep (1977)
97
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:70
Fresh:68
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.8/10
Consensus: By turns funny, sad, and profound, Killer of Sheep offers a sympathetic and humane glimpse into inner-city life.
Theatrical Release:Mar 30, 2007 Limited
Reviews for Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep lives up to its official designation as a national treasure.
05/28/03
What an inexpressibly sad, strange and lovely movie it is.
03/30/07
Top Critic... remains one of a kind.
04/05/07
Killer of Sheep is unlike any other American film of its time or any other.
05/31/07
It's truly rare to find something this original, honest and insightful.
07/02/07
Free of the ghetto clichés that fill the movies made by people who have never lived in one, Killer of Sheep is a strongly individual portrait of black, working-class America.
06/21/07
Has that marvelous capacity among motion pictures: it sneaks up on you.
03/27/07
Everything about Burnett's film has multiple meanings, even its title.
05/10/07
Top CriticIndependence is a subject Mr. Burnett knows well. After all, he was indie well before the term entered the film vocabulary. And it all started with the sheep killer with sad, distant eyes.
06/01/07
Top Critic[A] gem ...
06/14/07
The fantastic thing about this beautiful film is how little it tries to make a statement about anything; it is, simply, life.
07/30/09
Seeing Killer of Sheep is an experience as simple and indelible as watching Bresson's Pickpocket or De Sica's Bicycle Thieves for the first time.
03/30/07
Killer of Sheep can be seen (and reseen) as a great -- the greatest -- cinematic tone poem of American urban life.
03/26/07
Top CriticBurnett's empathy for his characters is obvious, and his carefully composed vignettes provide a host of indelible images...
08/31/07
It takes an eye-opening, unglamorous view of the black Los Angeles ghetto of the post-Watts riots.
10/29/07
Intellectually provocative, tonally contrasting and highlighting body language over sparse dialogue, 'Killer of Sheep' forces us to connect the dots.
03/25/07
If this sounds depressing, it's not, largely due to Burnett's ability to highlight warmth, humor, and unexpected moments of compassion.
05/04/05
The fly-on-the-wall narrative observes the life of a slaughterhouse worker who grapples with poverty, misbehaving children, and the allure of violence.
05/28/03
Charles Burnett's timeless and poetic Killer of Sheep is one of those 'found' films that never should have been lost in the first place.
05/10/07
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