Panther (film)

Plot summary

The film focuses on the rise and decline of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, known as the Black Panthers, during the Black Power movement and disenchantment with nonviolent resistance as a tool in the Civil Rights Movement. It explores the COINTELPRO program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which was an effort to track and disrupt African-American political movements.

The drama alleges that various Mob networks cooperated directly with the United States Intelligence Community (FBI/CIA) representatives to "flood" inner-city ghettos, which contained majority black populations, with hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The ending's structure and concluding voice-over alleges that The Mob (possibly Italian) in the United States agreed to produce and distribute quantities of these types of drugs on an unprecedentedly large scale. Purportedly, only agreed-upon "problem areas" of Black Panthers' potential support would be targeted, so as to "pacify" those populations.

The film further suggests that the huge quantities of drugs quickly spilled out of the "problem areas" and became the drug epidemic in the United States of the 1980s and 1990s. The final lines shown in the film's closing note that in the 1970s, there were hundreds of thousands of hard-drug addicts, a number that had increased to the "3 million" of "yesterday". It is dedicated to the Black Panther Party's main figures, the communities that supported them, and those who might continue the struggle today.

Cast

Numerous actors who appear in the film later became prominent in the industry. Angela Bassett had gained praise for her portrayal a few years earlier as Betty Shabazz in Spike Lee's film Malcolm X.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the film containing R&B and hip hop music was released on May 2, 1995 by Mercury Records. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified gold on July 25, 1995. Featured on the soundtrack was the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration among more than 60 female R&B singers and rappers that peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Three singles made it to the Billboard charts, "Head Nod" by Hodge, "The Points", a collaboration between 12 of hip-hop's most popular artists and groups, and "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration between over 60 female R&B singers and rappers.

1. "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" - 4:47
2. "Express Yourself" - 3:48 (Joe)
3. "We'll Meet Again" - 4:43 (Blackstreet)
4. "Black People" - 4:11 (George Clinton, Belita Woods & Funkadelic)
5. "Let's Straighten It Out" - 4:05 (Usher & Monica)
6. "The Points" - 4:54
7. "Slick Partner" - 2:46 (Bobby Brown)
8. "Stand (You Got To)" - 4:35 (Aaron Hall)
9. "The World Is a Ghetto" - 4:32 (Da Lench Mob)
10. "If I Were Your Woman" (Shanice & Female)
11. "We Shall Not Be Moved" - 4:49 (Sounds of Blackness & Black Sheep)
12. "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)" - 3:48 (Female)
13. "Freedom" (Dirty Dozen remix) - 4:49
14. "Head Nod" - 3:33 (Hodge)
15. "Stand!" - 4:28 (Tony! Toni! Toné!)
16. "Don't Give Me No Broccoli and Tell Me It's Green's" - 6:17 (The Last Poets)
17. "The Star-Spangled Banner" - 3:12 (Brian McKnight, Boys Choir of Harlem & Slash)
18. "The Ultimate Sacrifice" - 3:15 (Stanley Clarke)

Awards