When Van Peebles' politics come up front, such as the ending, it's amazing. The rest of the (studio mandated) time, it's fairly middle of the road, no better or worse than any other studio comedy from the late 60's early 70's. It's also my introduction to Godfrey Cambridge, who's great here and has since become one of my favorite comedians.

A terrific central performance and really exciting editing elevate it. It gets better as it goes along and you realize not only does it refuse to compromise its anger or its humor, it builds them both up to a fever pitch.

The ending is very effective. What seems profound today must have been absolutely terrifying to white folks 40 years ago. However, the rest of the film is very Hollywood, and it mostly avoids the radical politics of the director.

Strong racial tones mixed with a hollywood shine make this a really bizarre viewing, but towards the end it loses its humor. While that may be intentional, the point got across without it needing to be a downer. On the upside, the soundtrack is something else.

Once it gets going it's very enjoyable