SummaryKiller 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 ... Read More
Directed By:Charles Burnett
Written By:Charles Burnett
Killer of Sheep
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
96
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Many small things happen in Killer of Sheep, nothing of much consequence. But the enlargement of life itself is profound.
100
A milestone of eloquent understatement that captures the daily life of have-nots as few American movies have.
User score
Generally Favorable
85% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
6% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
9% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Feb 24, 2016
9
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.
Aug 27, 2010
8
Just as "The Velvet Underground & Nico" spurred wannabe musicians to actually go forth with their dreams, "Killer of Sheep" opened up the door to independent filmmaking to anyone with a camera and the vision. As a film, the 'story' relies on a series of episodic scenes (accompanied by an incredible soundtrack) to depict poverty in the Watts ghetto. This is both the film's greatest strength and weakness, because even though the neorealist style forces the viewer to experience the hardships with authentic intimacy, the lack of character development or plot makes the impression somewhat empty, (though not without a profound effect)
100
Killer of Sheep is a wonder any number of ways...but the greatest wonder of all is that this 1977 film, made for $10,000 by filmmaker Charles Burnett while he was still at UCLA’s film school and shot on weekends in Watts with a mostly amateur cast, still has the power to move us.
100
A lyrical, yet intensely rooted, tragic vision.
100
Killer of Sheep is an urban pastoral--an episodic series of scenes that are sweet, sardonic, deeply sad, and very funny.
83
Having heard tell of its wonders for decades, I found the actual movie less transporting than I'd been led to expect. It's clearly a brilliant debut.
70
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.
Sep 26, 2010
2
I get that this movie is a quiet serious look at poverty and all that, but in the end it is just plain boring. I don't mind slow paced movies, but this is too much, heavy handed and bad.
Feb 15, 2011
0
After watching this movie twice, I have concluded that (1) the emperor wears no clothes and (2) if you think highly of this movie, you are PRETENTIOUS. Please, be honest for a moment. You read all the critical acclaim this movie has garnered (it's the only reason you saw it in the first place) and you don't want to seem like the person that "doesn't get it." Permit me to help you feel better about yourself: this movie was unwatchably bad. You know it; I know it; and now I give you license to be truthful. Imagine for a moment if this movie was filmed in color. The "artsy" feel is instantly removed. All that is left is intolerably bad acting and no story. People have written that this movie has a nontraditional storyline. If you want a nontraditional story of life in an impoverished neighborhood, drive to an impoverished neighborhood and hang out for a while. You would never do this for two reasons: it's a stupid idea and you would be insanely pretentious to do this. That's all this movie has to offer.
Production Company:
- Milestone Films
Release Date:Mar 30, 2007
Duration:1 h 20 m
Website:
Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
