Panther (1995/I)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Mario Van Peebles

Writers (WGA):

Melvin Van Peebles (novel)
Melvin Van Peebles (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The People Called Them Heroes. The F.B.I. Called Them Public Enemy Number One.

Plot:

A dramatized account of the story of The Black Panther Party of Self-Defense.

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title | Traffic Accident | Police Brutality | Drugs | Violence

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kadeem Hardison	...	Judge
Bokeem Woodbine	...	Tyrone
Joe Don Baker	...	Brimmer
Courtney B. Vance	...	Bobby Seale
Tyrin Turner	...	Cy
Marcus Chong	...	Huey Newton
Anthony Griffith	...	Eldridge Cleaver
Bobby Brown	...	Rose
Angela Bassett	...	Dr. Betty Shabazz
Nefertiti	...	Alma
James Russo	...	Rodgers
Jenifer Lewis	...	Rita
Chris Rock	...	Yuck Mouth
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Pruitt
Michael Wincott	...	Tynan

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

Germany:123 min | UK:124 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berkeley, California, USA

Company:

Gramercy Pictures (I)

Trivia:

Angela Bassett also played Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At a party, a Black Panther member is shown playing a cream colored guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo and locking nut. Floyd Rose didn't invent the locking tremolo system until 1977. The film is set in the mid-'60s.

Quotes:

Rodgers: [a Black FBI agent is being introduced] Gentleman, this is Pruitt, he'll be working with us from here on in.
Brimmer: But isn't he...
Pruitt: Special People for Special Problems
Brimmer: Sorry I didn't know that the FBI had...
Pruitt: Obviously there are many things that you don't know, should we just get to the point, the Black Panthers have united with other organizations sponsored by the communists to undermine our efforts in Vietnam. In the opinion of Mr. Hoover, the Black Panther Party is Public Enemy Number One. They have quite simply guaranteed their own extinction.

Movie Connections:

References Malcolm X (1992)

Soundtrack:

Stay Alive

You can't cheer for "Braveheart" if you can't cheer for this

How is it possible that anyone can like a movie like "Braveheart" (a "fact-based" movie about Scottish people in the Middle Ages taking a stand against the tyranny that was going on) and then have the idea that this "fact-based" movie is any different?

Here were people in bad living conditions (to put it very lightly) and, along with using their Constitutional Right for a Well-Regulated Militia to Bear Arms for Necessary Protection, did all sorts of other things to improve their communities. The Black Panthers were mostly exposed as angry Blacks running around with guns, but that would be like saying the operetta version of "Les Miserables" is about a little girl named Cosette who dreams of a "Castle on a Cloud". As was shown in the film, they also had free breakfast programs and, in some areas in the country, free lunch programs so they could send the kids to school on full stomachs and thus be able to learn better. There was also the medical care they provided, and educational programs, etc. It was also shown that it went downhill once the founding members were in jail and were unable to run the show, so to speak.

As far as conspiracy theories are concerned, keep in mind that anybody during that time who asked "What's wrong with this picture?" (let alone did something about it) had FBI files started on them. And, in this extreme case, given that at the time the country was still in the crawling stage of getting used to the idea of equality of all races and sexes (among other things), is it really that hard to believe that "Big Brother" would flood the place with narcotics and other means of self-destruction? All I can say is "Well, DUH!"

Anyway, if you like movies based on history that deal with groups of people at the bottom (and in a worst case scenario) struggling against those up high to improve their situations, then just like "Braveheart", you should enjoy this film.

It's uncomfortable to watch at times, but, as we all know, there's no comfort in struggling; that's what makes victory more appreciable, assuming we achieve that victory in the first place.