Panther (1995)
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27% of critics liked it
(11 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(1,334 ratings)
This controversial political drama semi-fictionalizes the history of the radical Black Panther Party, an African-American organization that polarized America from 1966-70. Huey Newton (Marcus Chong) and Bobby Seale (Courtney B. Vance) are a pair of Oakland, California, men who form a new political… More This controversial political drama semi-fictionalizes the history of the radical Black Panther Party, an African-American organization that polarized America from 1966-70. Huey Newton (Marcus Chong) and Bobby Seale (Courtney B. Vance) are a pair of Oakland, California, men who form a new political party dedicated to protecting Blacks from bigoted cops through violent means. Their "Black Panther Party for Self-Protection" serves free lunch to kids, educates the community in African-American awareness, gets drug dealers off the streets, and has gun battles with the Oakland police. Two members of the Panther Party are Tyrone (Bokeem Woodbine) and Judge (Kadeem Hardison). When FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Richard Dysart) suspects that the Black Panthers' leftist leanings are an indication of communist involvement, Judge, an affable Vietnam vet, agrees to become a double agent, reporting to both the Feds and the Panthers. After the Panthers storm the State Assembly in Sacramento, political paranoia grows, and Hoover conspires with the mafia to flood urban streets with cheap heroin, thus destroying the party. Director Mario Van Peebles, who also appears in the role of Stokely Carmichael, worked from a script written by his father, Melvin Van Peebles, based on his book about his real-life experiences with the Black Panthers. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Directed By
- Mario Van Peebles
- Written By
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Genres
- Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- May 3, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- PolyGram Video
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
In his fictionalized story, Van Peebles simplifies the history of the Black Panthers, doing harm to a subject that he presumably intends to honor. Panther suffers from the same narrative and stylistic problems that has plagued his earlier films.
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Fred Topel, About.com
Doesn't really shed much light on the movement.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Kadeem Hardison
as Judge
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Bokeem Woodbine
as Tyrone
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Joe Don Baker
as Brimmer
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Courtney B. Vance
as Bobby Seale
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Tyrin Turner
as Cy
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Marcus Chong
as Huey Newton
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Ralph Ahn
as Mr Yang
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Angela Bassett
as Betty Shabazz
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Charles Cooper
as Sheriff
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Joseph Culp
as Baby Faced Cop
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Robert Culp
as Charles Garry
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Mark Curry
as Lombard
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Richard Dysart
as Hoover
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David Greenlee
as Patrolman
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Dick Gregory
as Reverend Slocum
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Anthony Johnson
as Sabu
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Jay Koch
as Ronald Reagan
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Kool Moe Dee
as Jamal
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James LeGros
as Avakian
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Jenifer Lewis
as Rita
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Mario Van Peebles
as Stokely Carmichael
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Manny Perry
as Shorty
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Jeris Poindexter
as Black Cop
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Tim Riley
as Band at Barbecue
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Chris Rock
as Yuck Mouth
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Jerry Rubin
as Defense Attorney
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James Russo
as Rodgers
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Roger Guenveur Smith
as Pruitt
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John Snyder
as Cop
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Melvin Van Peebles
as Old Jailbird
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M. Emmet Walsh
as Dorsett
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Ann Weldon
as Mrs Dowell
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Yolanda Whittaker
as Pregnant Junkie
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Michael Wincott
as Tynan
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James Bigwood
as Grove Street Cop
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Mark Buntzman
as Pushy Reporter
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Preston Holmes
as Prison Guard
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William Fuller
as Sergeant Schreck
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Thyais Walsh
as Bernadette
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Anthony Griffith
as Eldridge Cleaver
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Reginald Ballard
as Brother at Meeting
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Bobby Brown
as Rose
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Steven M. Gagnon
as Prosecutor
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Lahmard J. Tate
as Gene McKinney
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Robert Peters
as Cop at Ramparts
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David L. King
as Berkeley Campus Singer
