I have to give Melvin Van Peebles credit for one thing. He managed to achieve something that the creators of megahits like _Star Wars_, _Spiderman_, _E.T._, _Jaws_, and _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ could not accomplish. He filmed _Sweet Sweetback’s Baaaada*** Song_ with right around $50,000 and wound up grossing over $10 million. That’s 20,000% profit. Pretty impressive. However, many things that create a huge profit within the entertainment industry aren’t necessarily that great. Look at reality shows, gangsta rap, and Americanized J-horror for further proof. Yet _Sweet Sweetback_ isn’t just bad, it’s downright repugnant. These are several reasons why I think – I take that back, why I know it does not deserve it’s lofty reputation.

1. The opening scene – As some of you know, our “hero” Sweetback (you wouldn’t believe how loosely I’m using that term) was raised in a brothel. Within the first 10 minutes, you see Melvin’s son Mario engaged in sexual congress with an older lady. Mario was 13 years old at the time. Using a child for such a scene is beyond disgusting, but your own child is – well , I can’t think of a word for it.

2. The police beating scene – I in no way condone police brutality of any sort. Any police officer(s) who brutalize anyone in the way that the young black man is in the film deserve(s) to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Then again, there is also the way in which Sweetback takes out his anger on the abusive cops. He doesn’t seem to be worried about the welfare of the victim so much as he wants to beat the cops to a bloody pulp. By doing this, he becomes as immoral as The Man whom he claims is victimizing him.

3. It’s racist – The target isn’t really The Man per se, it’s The White Man. Peebles is one of those misguided souls who believe that the answer to racism is to attack every member of the other race, regardless of guilt or innocence. White men are either portrayed as burly hippy bikers or abusive,racist cops. And white women are shown as mindless cretins who swoon at the promise of sexual delight from a black man.

4. The editing – _Sweet Sweetback_ has 15 minutes worth of story stretched in at least 90 minutes of pure nothingness. 95% of the movie is cops brutalizing black people, Sweetback running, Sweetback having sex, or Sweetback running while having sex – just joking about that last one. But seriously, go watch a kindergarten play, or just about anything else except _The Real Cancun_, if you want see something better produced.

And finally…

5. The tagline – “Rated X by an ALL White jury”. Peebles can sure talk some crap. Doesn’t he realize that “white-bread” films like _A Clockwork Orange_ and _Midnight Cowboy_ were also given the kiss-of-death X rating? But unlike _Sweetback_, those films were full of artistic merit. It think the primary reason for it’s X rating was to save filmgoers from this cinematic weapon of brain cell destruction.

Avoid as if your life depended on it. It just may.

I only seen it once and I really like to see it again. I hope the scene of him being exploited as the black super hero. Of the ghetto will regain my dignity of being who I am. And thats being an well intelligent black man. Not the actual stereo type they visualize us black men today.