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Killer of Sheep

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98% Tomatometer 84 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In Watts, an urban and mostly African-American section of Los Angeles, Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders) spends his days toiling away at a local slaughterhouse. His macabre profession seeps into his personal life as he struggles to keep his family afloat and content. Other life situations also prove to be difficult, since it seems that dark intentions lurk within the people he meets outside his family. The layers of stress cause Stan to question whether a better quality of life is possible.
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Killer of Sheep

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Critics Consensus

By turns funny, sad, and profound, Killer of Sheep offers a sympathetic and humane glimpse into inner-city life.

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Critics Reviews

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Tim Grierson Los Angeles Times Instead of a conventional narrative, “Killer of Sheep” presents us with a mood. Apr 28, 2025 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker A sharply observed, lyrically romantic drama of a young paterfamilias in Watts named Stan, whose harsh job in a slaughterhouse leaves him embittered and depressed. Apr 18, 2025 Full Review Mark Feeney Boston Globe It's quiet, unhurried, understated, unblinking. Mood matters more than style, dailiness more than incident. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 21, 2020 Full Review Julian Singleton Cinapse in a world where such lives are often exploited for status-quo-stabilizing narratives, Charles Burnett gives his characters the freedom to exist on their own terms. Jul 11, 2025 Full Review Andrew Wyatt The Take-Up Killer of Sheep vibrates with the uncontainable energy of a sui generis masterpiece, tapping into something timeless and quintessential about the Black American experience – and American life in general. Apr 17, 2025 Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) It's a complicated, collage portrait that doesn't provide answers, only brilliant reflections. Dec 8, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 1 1/3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $83,400.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/26/25 Full Review ulyssesmovieblog b More than a story of poverty and alienation, Killer of Sheep offers a universal narrative of humanity’s life of small joys and struggles. Burnett’s minimalist and lyrical style makes the film not only a social drama but also a work of art. The film was one of the pioneers of the “Black Cinema” movement in American cinema and is still influential today. https://ulyssesmovieblog.com/killer-of-sheep-a-poetic-portrait-of-poverty-and-alienation/ Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/10/25 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This one was raw and provided a glimpse into life in Watts in the late 70s. It was informative, but a bit slow at times. The use of the Afro American Symphony 1st movement was my favorite part. It was a STG DVD. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L There were kids doing parkour in LA in the 1970s? Who knew? My first exposure to the notoriously underrecognized American director Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep is proof positive that student films can actually be more than just academic requirements. What a then-28-year old Burnett brings to this film on a shoestring budget, with an unlicensed soundtrack and a ragtag collection of largely nonprofessional acting talent, is a triumph of human-focused filmmaking in the manner of a Satyajit Ray, Roberto Rosselini, or Abbas Kiarostami. The story takes the everyday life of a working-class man and presents it as both a melancholic fight and a triumph of simply existing, infusing it with wonderfully candid depictions of LA's Watts district. Henry Sanders delivers the perfect combination of the 'bend-don't-break' sensibilites that characterize the everyman's struggle, contending with his dead-end profession, slow-paced home life, and ambitions beyond his current circumstances. Seeing his negotiation for a secondhand motor with his little disposable income, only to have it fall off the bed of a pickup and be rendered worthless, is a heartbreaking moment. A triumph of restrained filmmaking, relying on honesty, character, and empathy to carry the day, Killer of Sheep is neorealist-inspired masterpiece that has been confined to obscurity for far too long. (4.5/5) Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/19/21 Full Review Audience Member Killer of Sheep doesn't so much tell a story as it does introduce us to a harsh reality that many people haven't witnessed or understood. Through a realistic setting and realistic characters, Charles Burnett crafts a movie that aims to inform and does so to good effect. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Mr. Burnett's compassion as a neorealist director, as well as his gifts as a storyteller, give an almost unrecognizable style to this humorous, unhappy, thoughtful depiction of lower-class living. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Killer of Sheep

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Movie Info

Synopsis In Watts, an urban and mostly African-American section of Los Angeles, Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders) spends his days toiling away at a local slaughterhouse. His macabre profession seeps into his personal life as he struggles to keep his family afloat and content. Other life situations also prove to be difficult, since it seems that dark intentions lurk within the people he meets outside his family. The layers of stress cause Stan to question whether a better quality of life is possible.
Director
Charles Burnett
Producer
Charles Burnett
Screenwriter
Charles Burnett
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 14, 1978, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 18, 2025
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 15, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$83.4K
Runtime
1h 20m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)