Killer of Sheep

Name: Killer of Sheep
Genre: Drama
Released: March 30, 2007
Duration: 80 min
Rating: 96
Cast: Angela Burnett, Charles Bracy, Delores Farley, Dorothy Stengel, Eugene Cherry

2007

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 50 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 50 Ratings

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Killer Of Sheep

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Movie Details & Credits

Milestone Film & Video | Release Date: March 30, 2007 | Not Rated

Starring: Angela Burnett, Charles Bracy, Delores Farley, Dorothy Stengel, Eugene Cherry, Henry G. Sanders, Jack Drummond, Kaycee Moore, Slim, Tobar Mayo

Summary: Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life -- sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy andKiller of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life -- sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor. [Milestone Film & Video]… Expand

Director: Charles Burnett

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 80 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Michael Phillips

Of all the memorable feature film debuts, Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep” may be the freest from contrivance, disinterested to a lovely degree in conventional story machinery or in anything more than moments in time and the daily lives of people Burnett knew in his Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. Read full review

100

RogerEbert.com Roger Ebert

You have to be prepared to see a film like this, or able to relax and allow it to unfold. It doesn't come, as most films do, with built-in instructions about how to view it. One scene follows another with no apparent pattern, reflecting how the lives of its family combine endless routine with the interruptions of random events. Read full review

100

Ann Hornaday

See Killer of Sheep, and see it again and again. It's one of those truly rare movies that just get better and better. Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Brilliantly conceived, imaginatively structured, superbly written, stylishly composed and photographed, and very often wryly funny, Killer of Sheep lives up to its official designation as a national treasure. Read full review

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Way ahead of its time 30 years ago, and just as stunning today, Killer of Sheep is one of those marvels of original moviemaking that keeps hope of artistic independence alive. Read full review

Mark Feeney

Killer of Sheep is a drama that’s hardly at all dramatic, which makes it all the more moving. It’s quiet, unhurried, understated, unblinking. Mood matters more than style, dailiness more than incident. All movies are about other movies. A few are also about life. “Killer of Sheep” is one of them. Read full review

Felix Vasquez, Jr.

There isn't really an overall arc present in Killer of Sheep, and that's the point. There's really nothing meant to be expressed in Killer of Sheep but the experience of poverty, and the inevitability of crime in the face of poverty. Read full review

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User Reviews

AndresZ.

Apr 24, 2007

Around the seventies, when films like Annie Hall, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Saturday Night Fever ruled the age, Charles Burnett silently crafted Killer of Sheep, his thesis film for UCLA. Thirty years it has eluded us

1 of 2 users found this helpful

Leiris

Mar 28, 2007

Glad to see that this great film is getting a proper release. I cannot wait to replace my old copy. Hopefully more Burnett releases will soon follow.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

EpicLadySponge

Feb 24, 2016

Killer of Sheep is lovable and a legendary film of 2007. This movie is standing just right where we would normally have one of the best films of the year.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ElecE.

Mar 14, 2008

This movie goes no where. there is no sense of plot. Nothing happens. Feels like a student movie that a bunch of film students decided to hold in high acclaim b/c when & how cheaply it was made. i felt nothing.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

JoseF.R.

Nov 9, 2009

I only made it through about 15 to 20 minutes of this film. The dialogue is difficult to understand and next to nothing happens. I have read reviews that call this movie art - I can accept that. But DO NOT call this movie entertaining, because it is not.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Heather

Mar 22, 2008

I dont get all the fuss about this one- and i do enjoy quirky, indie movies.i fast-forwarded through a good bit of it. just nothing happening. yes, its about poverty, but what was the point of all of it except watching poor people living their lives? as another reviewer said "i feltI dont get all the fuss about this one- and i do enjoy quirky, indie movies.i fast-forwarded through a good bit of it. just nothing happening. yes, its about poverty, but what was the point of all of it except watching poor people living their lives? as another reviewer said "i felt nothing". i kept asking myself "what is the point of this?" i was certainly hoping for much, much more! so then i thought "well maybe the shorts on the dvd are the gems"... uh... no-im sorry but i really felt the whole thing (shorts included) were stupid. and i kind of feel bad saying that b/c i know this guy was a student at the time and maybe im missing something? no. i dont think i missed anything. wasnt anything there worth seeing.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

dustinc

Jan 18, 2010

Look at all those critics getting off on the importance of this movie. did they forget the point of movies themselves? this was garbage, from start to finish. pure garbage.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

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