Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

This film, directed by Melvin Van Peebles, is credited with being one of the first African-American focused films. Unlike the Blaxploitation films that were to follow, Van Peebles' film was one in which the black man "won" in his battle against The Man.

This almost surreal movie starts off with a couple of "friendly" cops looking for a black guy to bring in for questioning concerning a murder. They just need a body to make them look like they're doing their job. Quiet Sweetback (Van Peebles) is volunteered by his boss Beetle (Simon Chuckster). On the way to the station, the cops get involved in the arrest of Mu-Mu (Hubert Scales), a young black dude. They decide to take him somewhere secluded and beat the crap out of him. After a while Sweetback just lashes out and assaults the cops, hitting them with the handcuffs until they are left bloody and unconscious. After that Sweetback is on the run.

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