Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

  • 79% of critics liked it
    (14 reviews)

  • 50% of users liked it
    (3,133 ratings)

Produced, directed, written, scored by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles, this landmark "blaxploitation" film was as controversial as it was popular for its then X-rated story of one African-American man's triumph over the Man. After beating a couple of white cops he witnessed brutalizing a local… More

Play Trailer

R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By
Melvin Van Peebles
Written By
Melvin Van Peebles
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1971 Wide
On DVD
Jan 14, 2003
Xenon

Critic Reviews

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    A shrewd and powerful mix of commercial ingredients and ideological intent.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    Instead of dramatizing injustice, Van Peebles merchandizes it.

  • , TV Guide's Movie Guide

    A landmark in Black filmmaking in the U.S., this angry, extravagant, loud, belligerent movie reaches a high pitch early on and stays there.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Totally uncompromising and grindingly repetitive, the film nevertheless accumulates a kind of hallucinatory groove, with unexpected shafts of bizarre humour and vigorous, experimental new wave direction.

  • Richard Luck, Film4

    Even 30-odd years on, the picture still has more than a whiff of rebellion about it.

Read all 9 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

  • Chris W


    Let's see: is this a good movie? Well, it's definitely an important film. As far as being "good" though, well...yeah, but it's really rough around the edges, and overall, it's a big mess. But I do applaud the effort, this film's impact, it's… More

  • Daniel J D


    A necessary film; not quite necessary viewing. That is, unless you're a blaxploitation film buff, in which case you should look no further. Perhaps more interesting is the story that surrounds it, both in its making and in its reception. For instance, he performed all his own… More

  • Cassandra M


    This is a landmark film for many reasons, and although it is rough around the edges, I urge everyone to at least watch it once, and then watch the story of the making of this film, Baadasssss! (A.K.A. How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass), made by the directors son, Mario Van… More

  • Daniel H


    On one hand, a vibrant but muddled fugitive-on-the-run story... on the other, a remarkable cultural milestone. Independent, amazingly low-budget and experimental, Van Peebles work influenced the way in which African-Americans would break the color-barrier in film by directly spawning… More

  • Lesley N


    Wow, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was this. A landmark of cinema, this film doesn't pull any punches, from the first memorable scene where young Sweetback gets his name, via a bunch of violence, sex and racism, through to the second half… More

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Trailers & Clips

facebook_logo

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

  • Discover movies your friends are watching
  • Keep track of what you want to see
  • Add your reviews to your Timeline