Explore 193 Iconic Films in Black Exploitation Cinema History

Emma Mae

1976 • 100 min

A young woman from the South relocates to Compton to live with her aunt and uncle. Initially struggling to adjust as an outsider, she becomes involved with a group of local youths. Through this experience, she increasingly witnesses the city's…

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Black Shampoo

1976 • 82 min

A Black hairdresser's affairs with married clients escalate into a dangerous situation when he crosses paths with a vengeful mobster.

4.5

4.7

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Coffy

1973 • 90 min • Budget $500K • Box office $4M

Action, Crime, Thriller

A dedicated nurse's life is destroyed when her younger sister falls into the dangerous world of drugs. After her sister is harmed by contaminated heroin, the nurse begins a difficult journey seeking revenge on those responsible for her family's suffering.…

6.6

6.8

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Black Emanuelle 2

1976 • 91 min

Emanuelle, a fashion model, suffers a psychotic episode each time she has sex. Traumatized by past sexual abuse – including by men in her family, like her father – she seeks help from Dr. Gardner at his mental health center.…

4.3

4.2

Death Force

1978 • 110 min

James Iglehart, also known as Doug Russell, is an American who steals a gold shipment in the Philippines with two Vietnam War veterans. They kill him and abandon him on a deserted island. There, he's found by two Japanese soldiers…

4.9

5.4

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BaadAsssss Cinema

2002 • 58 min

Using archival footage and interviews, this short exploration of a often-overlooked era in cinema serves as an introduction rather than a comprehensive history. It includes interviews with prominent stars of the genre, including Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, and Richard Roundtree.…

5.9

6.9

Black Caesar

1973 • 95 min

Action, Crime, Drama

In Harlem, New York, Tommy Gibbs lives a tough life marked by crime and inequality. He's deeply affected by a past encounter with a corrupt police officer that left him physically and emotionally scarred, fueling a desire for revenge. As…

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6.4

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Cotton Comes to Harlem

1970 • 97 min • Budget $1M

Action, Comedy, Crime

In Harlem, African-American residents are drawn in by Rev. Deke O'Malley's offer of land in Africa, funded by small donations. Detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson investigate this scheme and uncover a hidden method: the money is concealed inside…

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Body and Soul

1981 • 109 min

A young man fights his way towards becoming a boxing champion, but the pursuit of victory ultimately consumes him. It is the love of his girlfriend that helps him rediscover what truly matters.

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The Dynamite Brothers

1974 • 90 min

A young Black man joins forces with a Chinese martial arts expert to take down a drug trafficking organization.

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3.8

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The Big Doll House

1971 • 95 min • Budget $125K • Box office $10M

Action, Drama

Five women and two men are imprisoned in a Philippine jail where they face brutal torture and mistreatment. To survive, the women form a strong bond and plan a daring escape. The film shows how far these people will go…

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5.8

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Super Fly T.N.T.

1973 • 87 min

A Harlem drug dealer and his girlfriend seek a new life in Rome, but his plans for retirement are disrupted when he becomes involved in an African revolution.

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4.4

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Foxy Brown

1974 • 94 min • Budget $500K

Action, Crime, Thriller

A determined African American woman enters the dangerous world of escort services after her boyfriend is murdered by mobsters. She uses this new life as a way to get revenge. This dark film explores power, seduction, and redemption through a…

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6.4

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Slaughter's Big Rip-Off

1973 • 93 min

Vigilante Slaughter is attacked by Duncan, a local money launderer. Duncan's hit-man traps Slaughter in a car at a cliff, but Slaughter escapes, arms himself, and goes after Duncan's hideout.

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The Six Thousand Dollar Nigger

1979 • 80 min

Steve, a homeless man, agrees to be part of an experimental drug trial. Unbeknownst to him, the doctor running the trial is a criminal with plans to create an invincible thief. The drug gives Steve superhuman abilities, like those of…

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4.5

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Sweet Jesus, Preacherman

1973 • 90 min

A Black hit man hides his true identity by working as a Baptist preacher in an inner-city church. He makes the decision to seize control of the area's criminal operations.

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Greased Lightning

1977 • 96 min

Action, Comedy, Drama

The true story of Wendell Scott is brought to life, following his relentless drive for success in a racially divided era of NASCAR. As the first Black driver to win a major NASCAR race, Scott's journey was marked by constant…

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That Man Bolt

1973 • 103 min

Fred Williamson stars as Jefferson Bolt, a Kung Fu expert tasked with transporting $1 million from Hong Kong to Mexico City, with a layover in Los Angeles. Bolt learns the money is connected to the mob and his girlfriend has…

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5.8

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Honky

1971 • 92 min

Sheila, a wealthy Black teenager, starts a relationship with Wayne, a working-class white teenager, and asks him to help her sell a kilogram of marijuana.

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4.9

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Together Brothers

1974 • 94 min

A group of young people from a disadvantaged neighborhood investigate the death of a well-known police officer.

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6.5

Short Eyes

1977 • 100 min • Box office $3K

Drama, Crime

This drama follows a young man who enters the harsh world of New York's Tombs prison after being accused of child molestation. Inside, his innocence is challenged by the prison's brutal realities, and he becomes a target for other inmates…

6.7

7.0

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Cool Breeze

1972 • 101 min

A recently paroled criminal plans a $3 million jewelry heist. His goal: to establish a bank specifically for business owners.

4.8

5.4

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Original Gangstas

1996 • 99 min • Budget $4M • Box office $3M

Action, Drama, Crime

In Gary, Indiana, the Rebels, a violent street gang, rule their territory with impunity. When storekeeper Marvin Bookman, the father of John Bookman – a former NFL star and the Rebels' leader – provides the police with vital information about…

5.6

5.7

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Baadasssss!

2004 • 108 min • Box office $365K

Drama

Mario Van Peebles directs a revealing look at his father Melvin's groundbreaking 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Van Peebles, who also plays his father in the film, delivers a frank account of Melvin's often unconventional and sometimes manipulative behavior…

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Black Dragon's Revenge

1975 • 85 min

Three competing gangs race to find Bruce Lee's lost handwritten manual on martial arts techniques.

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4.8

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The Guy from Harlem

1977 • 86 min

Al Connors, a hardened private investigator with a past in Harlem now working in Florida, is hired by the CIA to protect a visiting African princess. Simultaneously, Connors employs his street smarts and fighting skills to locate a woman kidnapped…

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Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde

1979 • 85 min

A Black doctor creates a serum designed to regenerate damaged liver cells and tests it on himself. The serum unexpectedly transforms him into an albino monster consumed by a desire to kill prostitutes, pimps, and drug dealers.

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The Baron

1977 • 89 min

A Black filmmaker pursues his vision of an all-Black movie, but securing funding requires a dangerous deal with the Mafia.

4.5

5.4

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+10

Ebony, Ivory & Jade

1976 • 76 min

An American track team arrives in the Philippines for an international competition. Among the athletes are Ginger, nicknamed "Ivory," and Pam, nicknamed "Ebony," who reunite with their friend Jackie, nicknamed "Jade." Shortly after checking into their hotel, a gang kidnaps…

6.3

4.6

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Aaron Loves Angela

1975 • 99 min

Aaron and Angela, two young people deeply in love, live in the Harlem ghetto of New York City. Their families, however, oppose their relationship. Aaron is Black, and Angela is Puerto Rican, and neither family approves of them being together.…

4.3

5.8

17+

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Coonskin

1975 • 83 min • Budget $1M

Drama, Animation, Comedy

In Harlem, three unlikely friends – Brother Rabbit, a sharp hustler; Brother Bear, a strong and determined man; and Preacher Fox, a persuasive speaker with secrets – team up to fight the powerful crime organizations controlling their community. They face…

6.1

6.4

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The Take

1974 • 91 min

In New Mexico, a police officer accepts a bribe but secretly works to bring down a powerful criminal.

6.3

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Black Hollywood

1984 • 85 min

Filmed entirely on location in Hollywood during 1984, this documentary examines the contributions of Black actors, Black directors, and the Black audience to American cinema.

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Way of the Black Dragon

1978 • 88 min

Allison Wong is kidnapped by a criminal gang involved in drug smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution. An Interpol agent, Bill Eaton, along with an honest local worker, Chen, and Allison's brother team up to dismantle the dangerous organization.

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Gordon's War

1973 • 90 min

After serving in Vietnam, a Black soldier returns to Harlem to find his wife has become a heroin addict and died from an overdose. Enraged by this discovery, he assembles three fellow Vietnam veterans, and together they begin planning a…

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Brother John

1971 • 95 min

A mysterious man goes back to his Alabama hometown when his sister is seriously ill with cancer, drawing the attention and distrust of prominent local figures.

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No Way Back

1976 • 103 min

Crowder, a morally flexible private investigator, tracks a gangster who is trying to recover stolen funds.

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Cleopatra Jones

1973 • 89 min

Action, Crime, Thriller

Federal agent Cleopatra Jones initiates a dangerous mission to destroy a Turkish opium farm controlled by the ruthless drug lord Mommy. This act triggers Mommy's vengeful campaign against Cleopatra. Facing escalating danger, Cleopatra must use her skills and determination to…

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Amazing Grace

1974 • 99 min

In Baltimore, a widow becomes involved in the mayoral race when she uncovers a scheme. The incumbent mayor is exploiting a Black candidate to boost his chances of winning reelection. Determined to counter this, the widow attempts to sway the…

6.6

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Bamboozled

2000 • 136 min • Budget $10M • Box office $2M

Comedy, Drama

Producer Pierre Delacroix, after being rejected by his network for his sitcom idea, deliberately pitches the worst concept imaginable: a 21st-century minstrel show, hoping to get fired. Instead, the network airs it and it unexpectedly becomes a huge success.

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Blackenstein

1973 • 87 min

A Vietnam veteran, Eddie, loses his arms and legs in a landmine explosion. A skilled surgeon performs a groundbreaking procedure to replace his limbs. However, the surgeon's envious assistant, who is secretly in love with Eddie's fiancée, sabotages the treatment…

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Disco Godfather

1979 • 93 min

Action, Comedy, Crime

Former police officer Tucker Williams, known as 'The Disco Godfather,' takes on a personal mission when he learns a dangerous new drug, Angel Dust, is causing problems in his community. As the drug spreads, Tucker uses his past experience and…

5.4

5.2

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+21

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold

1975 • 94 min

Action, Adventure, Drama

When friends and colleagues vanish during a mission in Hong Kong, Cleopatra Jones steps in to investigate. Her search leads her to The Dragon Lady, a powerful figure who controls a casino and the city's drug supply.

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Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2003 • 60 min

Gil Scott-Heron was a highly influential musician and poet for the past half-century. In Don Letts's documentary, Gil recounts his life story for the first time, from his experience as one of the first Black children to integrate a white…

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7.1

Darktown Strutters

1975 • 90 min

When a well-known abortion clinic owner disappears along with several other prominent members of the Black community, her singer daughter and her friends from a female biker gang launch an investigation.

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Black Angels

1970 • 87 min

A misunderstanding leads an African-American biker gang to believe a white biker gang is plotting violence. This false information ignites a dangerous escalation, resulting in widespread conflict.

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Eve's Bayou

1997 • 109 min • Budget $6M • Box office $14M

Drama

In 1962 Louisiana, the Batiste family in the small town of Eve's Bayou faces hidden truths and unexpected difficulties as summer progresses. Long-held secrets emerge, challenging their family's unity. The Batistes grapple with betrayal and sorrow while trying to hold…

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Claudine

1974 • 92 min

Drama, Romance, Comedy

In New York City, Claudine, a single mother working as a maid in wealthy suburbs, finds her life changing when she meets Roop, a charming but impulsive garbage collector. They quickly fall in love, but Claudine struggles to reconcile this…

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7.3

Car Wash

1976 • 97 min

Comedy, Drama, Romance

This comedy follows a diverse group of friends working at Sully Boyar's Car Wash in a busy Los Angeles neighborhood. They spend their day cleaning cars and sharing laughs while dealing with a variety of customers, from preachers to cab…

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1972 • 144 min • Budget $2M • Box office $19M

Drama, Music

This film explores the complicated life of blues icon Billie Holiday, following her journey from a difficult childhood to her rise to fame and subsequent struggles. The story reveals the experiences that shaped her career, including early tours, relationships –…

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7.0

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Django Unchained

2012 • 165 min • Budget $100M • Box office $425M

Drama, Western

A freed slave teams up with a German bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a cruel plantation owner in Mississippi.

8.2

8.5

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+14

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

1988 • 88 min • Budget $3M • Box office $13M

Comedy, Action, Crime

After years serving his country, Jack Spade returns to his city to find his world shattered. His younger brother, June Bug, has been murdered by Mr. Big, a powerful crime boss who controls the neighborhood. Determined to avenge his brother,…

6.4

6.6

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Hit Man

1972 • 90 min

Bernie Casey is Tyrone, and Pamela Grier plays a seductive adult film star in this first American adaptation of Michael Caine's Get Carter. Tyrone's journey takes him across Los Angeles, from the Watts neighborhood to the West Side, through adult…

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The Last Dragon

1985 • 108 min • Budget $10M • Box office $25M

Action, Adventure, Music

This action-adventure film follows a young man's search for a legendary "master," said to possess the secret to achieving the highest level of martial arts – the "glow." His difficult journey involves overcoming many trials that test his strength and…

6.5

6.8

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In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema

2007 • 59 min

This documentary explores the world of "race movies," films made by African American filmmakers and studios for black audiences during a largely overlooked period in cinema. Many of these films challenged the negative stereotypes of Black Americans common in mainstream…

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Lady Cocoa

1975 • 93 min

Cocoa gets a 24-hour prison leave if she testifies against her mob boyfriend. Back on the streets, she soon finds herself facing constant danger.

4.2

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Black Mama, White Mama

1973 • 87 min • Budget $200K • Box office $1M

Action, Crime, Thriller

The film centers on two women, a revolutionary and a former harem girl, who are forced into a reluctant alliance. They journey through dangerous landscapes, facing physical challenges and confronting their own pasts as they struggle to coexist. Their uneasy…

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5.6

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1973 • 110 min

Following the Civil War, Charley finds himself in conflict with a band of Confederate soldiers determined to revive the old South.

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5.4

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The Monkey Hustle

1976 • 90 min

A proposed highway poses a threat to a Chicago neighborhood, prompting the residents to organize a block party as a form of protest.

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The Final Comedown

1972 • 83 min

Driven by prejudice, a young Black man is radicalized and becomes an armed militant leader, convinced that violent revolution is the only solution to racism.

6.2

5.8

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Ganja & Hess

1973 • 113 min

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A dedicated doctor's life changes drastically when he's afflicted by an ancient curse after a seemingly minor cut with an old blade. He develops an uncontrollable craving for blood, forcing him to confront a terrifying transformation. The film explores his…

5.8

6.2

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Take a Hard Ride

1975 • 103 min

Action, Western

In the American West, the sudden death of a cattle rancher leaves his trusted foreman, Pike, with a crucial mission: deliver $86,000 in cash to families in Sonora, Mexico. Driven by his strong sense of honor, Pike undertakes this difficult…

5.2

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Sheba, Baby

1975 • 90 min

Action, Drama, Thriller

A seasoned Chicago private detective, Sheba, returns to her hometown of Louisville when news arrives about her father. Once a respected figure, he's now caught in the dangerous world of organized crime, fighting to control his life. Loyal to her…

5.7

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+10

Death Dimension

1978 • 88 min

A man known as The Pig intends to kill many people using a freeze bomb that instantly freezes victims. Detective Ash must stop him and protect a woman who possesses the secret to the bomb, stored as a microdot under…

4.1

17+

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+10

Savage!

1973 • 81 min

A low-budget adventure film follows James Iglehart, a former baseball player playing as Savage. He is kidnapped by South American rebels. Eventually, Savage recognizes the rebels' cause and joins forces with a team of female commandos to fight against the…

6.0

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The Education of Sonny Carson

1974 • 104 min

This 1974 film is based on the true story of Sonny Carson, who started out in a gang and engaged in minor criminal activity before being incarcerated. Following his release from prison, he decides to turn his life around.

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TNT Jackson

1974 • 72 min

Action, Thriller

A determined woman travels to Hong Kong to find her long-lost sibling. Instead, she enters a dangerous underworld filled with thugs and drug dealers. She must confront her fears and limitations as she navigates this treacherous world and uncovers a…

4.6

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Black Velvet

1976 • 96 min

Crystal, a wealthy woman feeling rejected, lives in a grand Egyptian palace with her daughter Magda. She finds solace in an aging Hollywood expatriate who keeps company with a group of singing children.

4.2

17+

Drum

1976 • 100 min

In mid-19th century America, a mulatto man finds himself caught between the brutal world of pit fighting, where he thrives, and the deep-seated prejudice of white society. He struggles with the conflicting demands of survival and dignity.

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Black Heat

1976 • 94 min

Kicks Carter is a tough police officer working the streets of Las Vegas. A criminal organization is operating a wide-ranging operation from a luxury hotel – guns, drugs, loans, and prostitution – and Kicks is determined to shut them down.…

4.1

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Welcome Home Brother Charles

1975 • 103 min

Wrongfully convicted of murder, a man emerges from prison determined to exact revenge against a biased police force and the detective responsible for his false imprisonment.

4.5

4.9

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Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

1971 • 98 min • Budget $150K • Box office $15M

Action, Crime, Drama

A black male prostitute's life changes when he intervenes to protect an African leader from racist police officers. Forced to flee, he seeks refuge with the help of his community in the ghetto. He unexpectedly finds allies in a group…

5.1

5.5

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One Down, Two to Go

1982 • 84 min

Two hardened detectives pursue the criminal organization responsible for sabotaging a martial arts competition and seriously injuring one of their colleagues.

4.4

4.5

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Blaxploitalian: 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema

2016 • 65 min

This documentary explores the hidden history of Black actors in Italian cinema. Using interviews and archival footage, it reveals the personal challenges and successes of these classic Afro-Italian, African-American, and Afro-descendant performers. The film parallels their struggles with those of…

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7.3

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New Jack City

1991 • 97 min • Budget $8M • Box office $47M

Thriller, Crime, Drama

This drama explores the lives of two men connected by their work but with very different perspectives: Nino, a powerful figure in the Cash Money Brothers, and Scotty, an undercover police officer trying to dismantle the gang's criminal operation. Nino…

6.6

6.7

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1975 • 90 min

Action, Thriller

Friday Foster, a photographer for a popular magazine, gets caught in a dangerous situation while photographing wealthy businessman Blake Tarr at Los Angeles International Airport. As she captures his arrival, an assassination attempt occurs, and Friday documents the chaos. Investigating…

5.9

6.0

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+11

Bucktown

1975 • 94 min

Duke Johnson travels to a small Southern town to bury his brother. He discovers he must remain for 60 days to settle the estate. Persuaded by locals, Duke reopens his brother's nightclub, but faces intimidation from corrupt local police. When…

5.6

6.2

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Thomasine & Bushrod

1974 • 95 min

Between 1911 and 1915, two thieves target wealthy white industrialists in the American South. They redistribute the stolen wealth to Mexican, Native American, and impoverished white communities.

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Joe Bullet

1973 • 79 min

As the championship final approaches, the local soccer team, The Eagles, is targeted by a mysterious gangster. Desperate, they enlist the help of Joe Bullet (Ken Gampu). He must fight the gangster's henchmen, evade traps, and use his martial arts…

5.1

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Black Dynamite

2009 • 85 min • Budget $2M • Box office $296K

Comedy, Action

Black Dynamite is a 1970s action icon. He’s a man seeking revenge against those in power. His brother was murdered, orphanages were ruined by heroin, and the streets are choked with fake alcohol. Black Dynamite is the only one willing…

7.1

7.4

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Dolemite

1975 • 90 min • Budget $120K • Box office $12M

Action, Comedy, Crime

Dolemite tells the story of a wrongly convicted pimp seeking redemption in a world where crime and law enforcement clash. Framed for drug trafficking, stolen goods, and weapons by Willie Greene and corrupt police officers, Dolemite is sentenced to twenty…

5.8

5.7

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+21

The Legend of Nigger Charley

1972 • 98 min

Three escaped slaves flee from their pursuers in the American West.

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5.9

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Brotherhood of Death

1976 • 85 min

Black soldiers returning from war arrive in a small Southern town controlled by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan systematically denies the Black residents their rights, including the right to vote and basic human dignity. The soldiers encourage the locals…

5.4

5.3

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Hav Plenty

1997 • 92 min

Lee Plenty, a struggling novelist on the verge of financial ruin, is friends with Havilland Savage, a wealthy and strikingly beautiful woman. When Havilland invites Lee to spend New Year's Eve at her home, a romantic relationship begins to develop…

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6.2

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100

Disco 9000

1976 • 94 min

Fass Black, a successful Black man in Los Angeles, is pressured by other record labels to play their music at his disco club. He consistently refuses, finding it uninspired.

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