Blood Done Sign My Name (2010)

50% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(277 ratings)

Author Timothy Tyson's acclaimed novel is adapted for the screen in this sweeping civil rights drama from director Jeb Stuart. Set in Oxford, NC, in the 1970s, Blood Done Sign My Name tells the tale of Civil Rights leader Dr. Ben Chavis (Nate Parker), who played a pivotal role in desegregating North… More Author Timothy Tyson's acclaimed novel is adapted for the screen in this sweeping civil rights drama from director Jeb Stuart. Set in Oxford, NC, in the 1970s, Blood Done Sign My Name tells the tale of Civil Rights leader Dr. Ben Chavis (Nate Parker), who played a pivotal role in desegregating North Carolina's public school system, and who would go on to become the youngest-ever executive director and CEO of the NAACP. The film centers on the racial tensions that flared after a white father and son were charged with murdering a black man, and were subsequently acquitted of the crime despite the fact that it took place in full view of the public. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 8 min.
Directed By: Jeb Stuart
Written By: Jeb Stuart
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Feb 19, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Aug 3, 2010
Studio: Paladin

Critic Reviews

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Though it can't quite transcend its filmmaker's earnest intentions, this solemn history lesson offers several powerful moments.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Along the way there are many fine, precisely observed moments showing what race relations were like in this little tobacco town at the turn of the decade.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
What the film lacks in psychological nuance it makes up for in unassuming, intimate social observation.
Tom Long, Detroit News
The story is well-told and well worth telling.
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News
Beautifully shot and well-acted, if earnest, overlong and unfocused.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
The movie punches up the kinds of scenes you've seen done better 100 other times -- church sermons, a sham trial, a Klan meeting.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Riveting, Real-Life, Civil Rights-Era Drama Released on DVD.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A bifurcated bio-pic examining the equally emotionally-charged points-of-view of both black and white observers of the fallout of the same ugly incident.
Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
The acting, like the storytelling, is quietly convincing.
David Fear, Time Out New York
You can't deny the inspirational qualities of the story or Parker's screen presence, any more than you could accuse the film of subtlety or of masking its conspicuous pro-Christian agenda.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
If this were a 1970s TV movie, it probably would have won a boatload of Emmys. Now, it lacks impact, although parents or grandparents worried their children don't appreciate the sacrifices of decades past might want to use it as a teaching tool.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
If you can get past its moribund title, you'll still have a challenge in spotting the protagonist in this oddly washed-out depiction of a racial battle that raged in Oxford, North Carolina...
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
I challenge anyone who sincerely believes that The Blind Side is a good film to take a look at this one and see how this kind of story is meant to be told.
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper
Has some wrenching moments, but generally offers the melodrama and unremarkable performances of a TV movie.
Robert Levin, Film School Rejects
Compelling moments abound, but they're conveyed in such a faithful, grounded manner that the cinematic appeal is lost.
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Daily News
The civil rights movement, like the Civil War, is best known for its great battles and great leaders. But there were smaller skirmishes, just as important, and Blood Done Sign My Name tells the story of one.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A sturdy and sensitive drama about the Civil Rights movement in Oxford, North Carolina, in 1970; it rings true and reveals the scourge of American racism in all of its ugly manifestations.
Sam Adams, AV Club
In spite of the material's regional origins, Stuart's movie still feels like a Hollywood vision of the rural South, less syrupy than some but no less vague.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Racism--one of the most dirty words. It has been raising its ugly head since the birth of America. This true story will make you cringe with its relentless brutality, and appalling injustice! This town reacted to the crime this movie is based on by closing in the ranks of the whites,… More
Racism--one of the most dirty words. It has been raising its ugly head since the birth of America. This true story will make you cringe with its relentless brutality, and appalling injustice! This town reacted to the crime this movie is based on by closing in the ranks of the whites, and eventually running their new pastor out of town. White supremacy died a SLOW death in the deep South.