Far After Blaxploitation: Now!
by Breumaster | created - 09 Sep 2020 | updated - 09 Sep 2020 | PublicBlaxploitation movies emerged in the United States in the early 1970s. They were drawn from sight of the black protagonists, which definitely were the lead characters of the stories. A very prominent example is Shaft (1971) with Richard Roundtree in the title role. These movies implemented Soul and Funk music into the film world, but also were mostly made cheap to make easy profits.
Now - decades later - black protagonists are usual.
Which of these strong black protagonist is your favorite?
Play some funk here.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Black Panther (2018)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira
Votes: 837,390 | Gross: $700.06M
2. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
Votes: 291,037 | Gross: $49.28M
3. Moonlight (I) (2016)
R | 111 min | Drama
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert
Votes: 331,750 | Gross: $27.85M
4. Training Day (2001)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger
Votes: 472,731 | Gross: $76.63M
5. Django Unchained (2012)
R | 165 min | Drama, Western
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Votes: 1,694,488 | Gross: $162.81M
6. Shaft (2000)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
New York City police detective John Shaft (nephew of the original 1970s detective) goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon is brought to justice after a racially-motivated murder.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Christian Bale, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 80,787 | Gross: $70.33M
7. Shaft (2019)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
JJ Shaft, a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.
Director: Tim Story | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Richard Roundtree, Regina Hall
Votes: 58,733 | Gross: $21.36M
8. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
R | 118 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Eddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.
Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson
Votes: 64,944
9. Black and Blue (I) (2019)
R | 108 min | Action, Thriller
A rookie New Orleans police officer is forced to balance her identity as a black woman after she witnesses two corrupt cops committing murder.
Director: Deon Taylor | Stars: Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo, Mike Colter
Votes: 26,673 | Gross: $22.06M
10. Black Dynamite (2009)
R | 84 min | Action, Comedy
Black Dynamite is the greatest African-American action star of the 1970s. When his only brother is killed by The Man, it's up to him to find justice.
Director: Scott Sanders | Stars: Michael Jai White, Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, Phyllis Applegate
Votes: 51,806 | Gross: $0.23M
11. Get on Up (2014)
PG-13 | 139 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis
Votes: 26,140 | Gross: $30.51M
12. Naked (I) (2017)
TV-14 | 96 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Nervous about finally getting married, a guy is forced to relive the same nerve-wracking hours over and over again until he gets things right on his wedding day.
Director: Michael Tiddes | Stars: Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, Dennis Haysbert, J.T. Jackson
Votes: 21,586
13. The Hebrew Hammer (2003)
R | 85 min | Comedy
An orthodox Jewish blaxploitation hero saves Hanukkah from the clutches of Santa Claus' evil son.
Director: Jonathan Kesselman | Stars: Adam Goldberg, Andy Dick, Judy Greer, Mario Van Peebles
Votes: 5,086 | Gross: $0.02M
14. Get Out (I) (2017)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Votes: 696,409 | Gross: $176.04M
15. Us (II) (2019)
R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker
Votes: 340,947 | Gross: $175.08M
16. Tenet (2020)
PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak
Votes: 592,440 | Gross: $58.46M
17. Shaft (1971)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John
Votes: 21,018 | Gross: $16.69M
I have another favorite.
Tell Your Friends