The Killing Floor

Chicago film history remains the richer for its existence and its recent digital restoration.

A revelatory historical drama that offers a powerful template for social analysis in fiction.

[T]he drama is centered on Frank’s journey from naïve country boy in the city to idealistic activist struggling to bridge the racial divide and caught somewhere between his black coworkers and the white union leadership.

An intrinsically American historical epic.

Powerful stuff.

There is clearly a story to tell, but Lee and Rassbach were unable to frame it in a meaningful and dramatic way.

Impressive in its detail and startling in its ambition

The Killing Floor devotes careful attention to this country's history of unionization, using Custer as a stand-in for audience members who might not know much about the subject.

Racism, racial violence and ideological divides abound. Made for PBS' "American Playhouse," the film is a perfect double bill with Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep" (1973)

Violence, language, racism in excellent historical drama.