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Panther

Play trailer Poster for Panther R 1995 2h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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25% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In this semi-fictionalized account of the origins of the Black Panthers, Vietnam vet Judge (Kadeem Hardison) returns to his hometown of Oakland to find it beset by violence and police discrimination against African-Americans. Judge's friend Cy tells him about a vigilante group that's organizing against the police and introduces him to its leaders, Bobby (Courtney B. Vance) and Huey (Marcus Chong). Judge joins the movement but is soon beset by police pressure to inform against Huey.

Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Entertainment Weekly Rated: C+ Apr 4, 2011 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times There is a fascinating study to be made of the Black Panther Party. Panther is not that film. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life Using a cast of young, spirited and very talented men and women, Mario Van Peebles is on track for three-fourths of the film. The ending is weak in comparison with the rest of the story, but I still strongly suggest that everyone see it. May 16, 2022 Full Review Anderson Jones Philadelphia Daily News The film is, in fact, more a fictionalized documentary than a narrative film based on fact. And as such it is sluggish, uninspired. Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 26, 2022 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com In his fictionalized story, Van Peebles simplifies the history of the Black Panthers, doing harm to a subject that he presumably intends to honor. Panther suffers from the same narrative and stylistic problems that has plagued his earlier films. Rated: C Oct 6, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Brandy L This is a great film depicting the BPP coming from a different perspective (storyline about Judge). Looking at the star power in this film today is wild. It's sad the film was hidden from the mainstream audience because it tells the truth about the government being against Black People. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/07/23 Full Review Steve D If it actually told a true story this could have been fantastic. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review kassie r If you studied your history properly, it's clear to see that this is a sensational fictitious account of the BPP story intertwined with the Iran-contra affair and heavily loaded with COINTELPRO. The movie is not meant to be biographical and there is even a disclaimer at the beginning of the film explaining this. It's a good stepping stone into the BPP history. My favorite part is the exposure of the CIA's involvement in the crack epidemic uprising via Iran contra affair And the FBI's corruption. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member What a cast! great film Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/20 Full Review Audience Member A soul touching movie about the Black Panther Self defense movement Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member As a person who has read and studied many events circulating the Black Panther Party (BPP), I really enjoyed this film. It brought to light a lot of the struggles black Americans went and still go through today. The movie broke down the BPP movement quite well, for what it could in 2 hrs. Honestly, a TV drama would be a perfect way to really dig deeper into the history, but that's neither here nor there. The acting was acceptable - and I feel the casting was what stood out the most to me, that was very well executed. If you enjoy learning history with highlighted points to excel your knowledge, I would highly recommend this movies. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Panther

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Cast & Crew

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Mario Van Peebles

Director

Kadeem Hardison

Judge

Bokeem Woodbine

Tyrone

Joe Don Baker

Brimmer

Courtney B. Vance

Bobby Seale

Tyrin Turner

Cy

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Panther

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this semi-fictionalized account of the origins of the Black Panthers, Vietnam vet Judge (Kadeem Hardison) returns to his hometown of Oakland to find it beset by violence and police discrimination against African-Americans. Judge's friend Cy tells him about a vigilante group that's organizing against the police and introduces him to its leaders, Bobby (Courtney B. Vance) and Huey (Marcus Chong). Judge joins the movement but is soon beset by police pressure to inform against Huey.
Director
Mario Van Peebles
Producer
Preston L. Holmes, Mario Van Peebles, Melvin Van Peebles
Screenwriter
Melvin Van Peebles
Production Co
MVP Films, Gramercy Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Tribeca Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.3M
Runtime
2h 4m
Sound Mix
Surround