Killer of Sheep
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2007
Killer of Sheep Image
Metascore
94 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

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  • Summary: Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life -- sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor. (Milestone Film & Video)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    100
    Brilliantly conceived, imaginatively structured, superbly written, stylishly composed and photographed, and very often wryly funny, Killer of Sheep lives up to its official designation as a national treasure.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    100
    Burnett's documentarian empathy, coupled with his easygoing skill as a dramatic essayist, result in a film that doesn't look, feel or breathe like any American work of its generation.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    100
    A milestone of eloquent understatement that captures the daily life of have-nots as few American movies have.
  4. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    In all honesty, Burnett's writing can be stiff and the acting in Killer of Sheep is indifferent. But the reason to see this film does not lie in the dialogue.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 8 out of 15
  1. AndresZ.
    10
    Around the seventies, when films like Annie Hall, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Saturday Night Fever ruled the age, Charles Burnett silently crafted Killer of Sheep, his thesis film for UCLA. Thirty years it has eluded us… Collapse
  2. ryancarroll88
    8
    Just as "The Velvet Underground & Nico" spurred wannabe musicians to actually go forth with their dreams, "Killer of Sheep" opened up the door to independent filmmaking to anyone with a camera and the vision. As a film, the 'story' relies on a series of episodic scenes (accompanied by an incredible soundtrack) to depict poverty in the Watts ghetto. This is both the film's greatest strength and weakness, because even though the neorealist style forces the viewer to experience the hardships with authentic intimacy, the lack of character development or plot makes the impression somewhat empty, (though not without a profound effect)… Expand
  3. JabezH
    5
    I really wanted to like this movie. I didn't. It is mostly dull with a few interesting moments. Perhaps this film presents an exotic landscape to those who have never been poor and lived in bad urban areas. I couldn't help feeling like the kid I met on a dusty Andean road when I was in South America. When I said "what a view" about the incredible mountains in front of us, he turned, looked and then turned back to me with a quizzical look. "Where?" he said. It was nothing special to him. Film criticism must pay better than I thought.… Expand
  4. bda
    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.… Expand

See all 15 User Reviews

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