Killer of Sheep
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2007
User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 31
  3. Negative: 10 out of 31

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  1. super312
    Sep 26, 2010
    2
    I get that this movie is a quiet serious look at poverty and all that, but in the end it is just plain boring. I don't mind slow paced movies, but this is too much, heavy handed and bad.
  2. ElecE.
    Mar 14, 2008
    2
    This movie goes no where. there is no sense of plot. Nothing happens. Feels like a student movie that a bunch of film students decided to hold in high acclaim b/c when & how cheaply it was made. i felt nothing.
  3. dustinc
    Jan 18, 2010
    0
    Look at all those critics getting off on the importance of this movie. did they forget the point of movies themselves? this was garbage, from start to finish. pure garbage.
  4. ByronD.
    Feb 27, 2008
    4
    While the film has interesting ideas and images it really comes across as a mish-mash of story elements without any structure. The film is overrated. Not horribly so, but it is not as good as people say it is. If you like experimental film then this might be a good one for you but those who prefer a traditional narrative form will not be pleased. Really, I can only recommend this for its glimpses at impoverished African-Americans in the 1970s. This is a first film and it shows.… Expand
  5. Heather
    Mar 22, 2008
    0
    I dont get all the fuss about this one- and i do enjoy quirky, indie movies.i fast-forwarded through a good bit of it. just nothing happening. yes, its about poverty, but what was the point of all of it except watching poor people living their lives? as another reviewer said "i felt nothing". i kept asking myself "what is the point of this?" i was certainly hoping for much, much more! so then i thought "well maybe the shorts on the dvd are the gems"... uh... no-im sorry but i really felt the whole thing (shorts included) were stupid. and i kind of feel bad saying that b/c i know this guy was a student at the time and maybe im missing something? no. i dont think i missed anything. wasnt anything there worth seeing.… Expand
  6. JoseF.R.
    Nov 9, 2009
    1
    I only made it through about 15 to 20 minutes of this film. The dialogue is difficult to understand and next to nothing happens. I have read reviews that call this movie art - I can accept that. But DO NOT call this movie entertaining, because it is not.
  7. bda
    Apr 15, 2009
    0
    Despite its grainy black and white, its art-house camera-work and its cool music, there is one huge problem: it's unwatchable, due to writing and acting shortfalls.
  8. LeeT
    Jul 27, 2009
    1
    Maybe if someone feels really guilty that America can produce a ghetto like Watts then that someone would feel that this movie is worth watching. But that someone would also have no idea what makes a movie worthwhile.
  9. Bartleby_theCat
    Feb 15, 2011
    0
    After watching this movie twice, I have concluded that (1) the emperor wears no clothes and (2) if you think highly of this movie, you are PRETENTIOUS. Please, be honest for a moment. You read all the critical acclaim this movie has garnered (it's the only reason you saw it in the first place) and you don't want to seem like the person that "doesn't get it." Permit me to help you feel better about yourself: this movie was unwatchably bad. You know it; I know it; and now I give you license to be truthful.
    Imagine for a moment if this movie was filmed in color. The "artsy" feel is instantly removed. All that is left is intolerably bad acting and no story. People have written that this movie has a nontraditional storyline. If you want a nontraditional story of life in an impoverished neighborhood, drive to an impoverished neighborhood and hang out for a while. You would never do this for two reasons: it's a stupid idea and you would be insanely pretentious to do this. That's all this movie has to offer.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    100
    Shot on a year's worth of weekends on a minuscule budget (less than $20,000), this remarkable work--conceivably the best single feature about ghetto life that we have--was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry as one of the key works of the American cinema, an ironic and belated form of recognition for a film that has had virtually no distribution. It shouldn't be missed.
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  2. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    80
    Burnett used many kinds of African-American music on the soundtrack, and the movie itself has the bedraggled eloquence of an old blues record. The amateur actors, who occasionally burst into fury, combined with the black-and-white cinematography, bring the poverty of Watts closer to us emotionally.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    100
    Killer of Sheep is an urban pastoral--an episodic series of scenes that are sweet, sardonic, deeply sad, and very funny.
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