House Party (1990), Baadasssss! (2003), The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Chapter & Verse (2015), Off and Running (2009), Rosewood (1997), A Raisin in the Sun (2008) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best African American movies.
Storyline: A caring teacher (Don Cheadle) tries to inspire strength and dignity in an innocent black man (Mekhi Phifer) condemned to death in 1940s Louisiana.
Plot Keywords: drama, crime, racism, injustice, 1940s, african american, teacher ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Detective Virgil Tibbs is caught up in the racial tension of the US South when he is arrested after the murder of a prominent businessman. Tibbs was simply waiting for his next train at the station in Sparta, Mississippi and the confusion is soon resolved but when local police chief Gillespie learns that Tibbs is the Philadelphia PD's number one homicide expert, he reluctantly asks for his assistance. The murdered man, Mr. Colbert, had come to Sparta from the North to build a new factory and his wife and business associates immediately point the finger at Endicott, the most powerful man in the county and the one who had the most to lose if a major new employer comes to the area. Tibbs' life is clearly in danger but he perseveres in a highly charged and racially explosive environment until the killer is found.
Plot Keywords: crime, drama, mystery, race, discrimination, murder, police ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Young Thurgood Marshall faces one of his greatest challenges while working as a lawyer for the NAACP. Marshall travels to conservative Connecticut when wealthy socialite Eleanor Strubing accuses Black chauffeur Joseph Spell of sexual assault and attempted murder. He soon teams up with Sam Friedman, a local Jewish lawyer who's never handled a criminal case. Together, the two men build a defense while contending with racist and anti-Semitic views from those who deem Spell to be guilty.
Plot Keywords: biography, drama, history, legal, courtroom, race, civil rights ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.—Jwelch5742
Plot Keywords: documentary, race, civil rights, american history, social justice, racism, black culture ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Sinclair family matriarch Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice) raises enough money to help her two grandchildren and drug-addicted adult daughter, Loretta (Alfre Woodard), move to a small Mississippi town in order to escape the dangers of inner-city Chicago. There, Loretta and her kids are taken in by her gruff uncle, Earl (Al Freeman Jr.), who attempts to instill a work ethic and sense of history in his niece. With the help of Earl's tough love, Loretta does her best to put her past demons behind her.
Plot Keywords: family, drama, african american, chicago, rural life, drug addiction, single parent ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This film recounts the people and events leading up to the one of the most despicable hate-crimes during the height of the civil-rights movement, the bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In that attack, four little African-American girls lost their lives and a nation was simultaneously revolted, angered and galvanized to push the fight for equality and justice on.—Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>
Plot Keywords: documentary, history, civil rights, racism, 1960s, bombing, african american ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.
Plot Keywords: war, history, american civil war, race, slavery, courage, honor ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life...
Plot Keywords: drama, female, race, family, coming of age, love, pain ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A preacher in a small African-American church in Louisiana tells his Sunday school class stories from the Bible as if the characters were part of a local fish fry. He starts with the creation of the world by God, known as "De Lawd" (Rex Ingram), and tells how God went on to create heaven, which is just like their farmland, and then created man and woman, followed by their fall and finally the coming of Jesus Christ. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
Plot Keywords: religion, race, allegory, african american, bible, fantasy, musical ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A group of decorated World War II heroes, including George (Brad Johnson) and Jesse (Tom Sizemore), come back to their sleepy Texas home town after their tour of duty to find that crooked politicians have taken control of the local government. Appalled, George, Jesse and their fellow soldiers unite their friends and family in a battle against the town mayor and his administration, who care more about their own personal finances than for the well-being of those they were elected to serve.
Plot Keywords: history, war, american civil war, race, slavery, justice, courtroom ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Documentary with a selection from a non-stop 7-hour musical event at Watts, the Los Angeles Coliseum, August 20, 1972. It's a sort of Woodstock event but with black artists, namely the groups Dramatics, Staple Singers, Rance Allen Group, Emotions, Bar Kays, Mel & Tim.—Artemis-9
Plot Keywords: concert, documentary, music festival, black culture, live performance, 1970s, los angeles ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: One of comedian Richard Pryor's live performances (at the Sunset Strip, obviously) caught on film. Pryor talks about most of his standard subjects, including rascism and the differences between blacks and whites, along with talking about some of his recent film roles.—Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
Plot Keywords: comedy, live performance, classic, humor, satire, social commentary, adult content ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.
Plot Keywords: crime, drama, gangster, coming of age, race, poverty, violence ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: After writing a soon-to-be bestselling novel, writer and committed bachelor Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) attempts to hide the fact that his saucy new book is loosely based on the lives and loves of his tight-knit group of friends. Harper is set to be best man at his friend Lance's (Morris Chestnut) wedding, and all his friends will be in attendance. When an advance copy of the book makes its way into the hands of his ex-flame, Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), Harper attempts to keep it under wraps.
Plot Keywords: romantic comedy, love, friendship, wedding, black culture, new york, relationships ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A powerful and thought-provoking true-story, "Just Mercy" follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson.) One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx,) who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds-and the system-stacked against them.—Gregg Brilliant
Plot Keywords: legal, race, justice, wrongful conviction, death penalty, civil rights, lawyer ...
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