Brotherhood Of Death

This classic 70’s film has often been classified as blaxploitation. True, it was directed for that market, but it does have a revenge motif. Still, I can’t help but feel that this movie is a little more than that. It has a lot in common, in spirit, to Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song. It features three African-American friends, who return to Vietnam into the southern racist community. When the corrupt members of the Clan murder two of their friends, and rape one of their women, they go on a military-style revenge against the redneck bastards, using the same tricks learned in Vietnam. They even costume themselves as members of the KKK and infiltrate the ranks! The racism in this film is very real, and you can see how it rules the community in real life (the sign that reads “The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Welcomes You To Smithfield” was no prop). One of the best, and most underrated movies of the 1970’s.