Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

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Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

R

1971

1h 37m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Sweet Sweetback (Melvin Van Peebles) is a black orphan who, having grown up in a brothel, now works there as part of a sex show. When the police need a patsy for a murder in the black community, Sweetback's employer gives him up to two white cops, whom Sweetback ends up killing. Suddenly the target of a massive manhunt, he decides to flee to Mexico. As he makes his way there, he is captured by, and escapes from, both the cops and a chapter of the Hell's Angels.

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

Jan 29, 2024

Impossible, haughty, not likable, but sometimes rather admirable in its context.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Jan 29, 2024

People who believe that all that smoke must indicate one hell of a fiery movie might be rather dismayed by the movie itself.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Jan 31, 2022

For all its horror, the film has an exuberant, hedonistic excitement (including a sexual showdown in a Hell's Angels den); Sweetback's spirit of outrage and revolt gives rise to bitter, exasperated ironies.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Mar 12, 2022

The unusual mix of agitprop and exploitation is directed in a jagged style that recalls what Jean-Luc Godard was doing in France and set to a funky score performed by Earth, Wind, and Fire...

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Jul 6, 2021

Farr more overtly political and experimental than anything subsequently bracketed in that ["Blaxploitation"] genre.

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Aidai T

@ayiii 12 hrs ago

I found Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song intense and very different from most movies I have seen. The editing is fast and sometimes confusing, but in my opinion that style makes the film feel stressful and unpredictable. Sweetback is running from the police, but the movie is also about resisting racism and authority. I liked that Sweetback was not shown as a perfect hero. He was a complicated character, and sometimes it was difficult to sympathize with him. Some scenes involving women were uncomfortable to watch, but the movie’s message about resisting racism and authority was clear. Overall, I think its independent style and originality make it an important film.

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Luisa L

@uwisa127 1 day ago

It was definitely not an easy watch. The quality was kind of bad which made it harder to watch. There is almost no dialogue and its mostly based off music, breathing, and running.

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Ashamatronic H

@Ashley_Howard 5 days ago

I really enjoyed how creative this movie was with lighting and editing, the music was also great. While the opening scene probably adds to the protagonist's trauma, it's still extremely rough to watch.

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Precious E

@RT11040780 May 19, 2026

After watching Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, the quality of the film was not the greatest; for example, it was not as clear. The background music seemed good overall. It was not a bad film to watch.

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Jaden G

@RT57257977 May 18, 2026

I do feel like the film wasn't the most well done in a filmmaking standpoint. It did feel like the budget was low and I couldn't help but notice that throughout watching. That being said, it gets more than 1 star from me because the plot clearly had a strong political statement in it with the lead beating up racist officers and helping out someone being discriminated against.

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Brandon M

@RT14839179 May 16, 2026

It wasn't the best movie I've ever since, but it was okay. I like of visual effects were wired in a sense where it felt like a fever dream. Overall, the movie was okay for what it is.

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Melvin Van Peebles

Director

Melvin Van Peebles

Sweetback

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Synopsis

Sweet Sweetback (Melvin Van Peebles) is a black orphan who, having grown up in a brothel, now works there as part of a sex show. When the police need a patsy for a murder in the black community, Sweetback's employer gives him up to two white cops, whom Sweetback ends up killing. Suddenly the target of a massive manhunt, he decides to flee to Mexico. As he makes his way there, he is captured by, and escapes from, both the cops and a chapter of the Hell's Angels.

Director: Melvin Van Peebles
Producer: Jerry Gross, Melvin Van Peebles
Screenwriter: Melvin Van Peebles
Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc., Direct Cinema Limited, Criterion Collection, New World Pictures
Production Co: Yeah
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 23, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2020
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Mono

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