Panther

This simple-minded account of the Black Panther Party is insulting to anybody who ever admired the positive qualities of the organization or at the very least took their militancy seriously. Melvin Van Peebles wrote the thin script, and son Mario directs it with little of the penetrating and expansive sensibility necessary to understand the subject in its broadest context. The presence of a big cast with a lot of familiar names and faces--including real-life Panther contemporaries Jerry Rubin and Dick Gregory--give the project a false air of importance. --Tom Keogh

Movie Details

Cast: Kadeem Hardison, Bokeem Woodbine, Joe Don Baker, Courtney B. Vance, Tyrin Turner, Anthony Griffith, Angela Bassett, James Russo, Jenifer Lewis, Chris Rock, Roger Guenveur Smith, Michael Wincott, Richard Dysart, M. Emmet Walsh, Wesley Jonathan, Anthony Johnson, Kool Moe Dee, Lahmard J. Tate, David Greenlee, Melvin Van Peebles
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 124 minutes
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.85:1

International rating:

Europe: 15

DVD International release dates:
North America: Dec 22, 98

VHS International release dates:
North America: Jul 16, 96