7.2/10
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18 user 19 critic

The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)

A black man plays Uncle Tom in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American Revolution.

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Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay) (as Mel Clay) | 1 more credit »
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1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lawrence Cook ...
Dan Freeman
Janet League ...
Joy
...
Dahomey Queen
...
Dawson
Paul Butler ...
Do-Daddy Dean
Don Blakely ...
Stud Davis
David Lemieux ...
Pretty Willie
...
General
Jack Aaron ...
Carstairs
...
Senator Hennington
...
Mrs. Hennington
Beverly Gill ...
Willa
Bob Hill ...
Calhoun
Martin Golar ...
Perkins
Jeff Hamilton ...
Policeman
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Storyline

In order to improve his standing with Black voters, a White Senator starts a campaign for the CIA to recruit Black agents. However, all are graded on a curve and doomed to fail, save for a soft-spoken veteran named Dan Freeman. After grueling training in guerrilla warfare, clandestine operations and unarmed combat, he is assigned a meager job as the CIA's token Black employee. After five years of racist and stereotyped treatment by his superiors, he quietly resigns to return to his native Chicago to work for a social services agency...by day. By night, he trains a street gang to be the vanguard in an upcoming race war, using all that the CIA has taught him... Written by Baroque

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

cia | training | senator | gang | race war | See All (154) »

Taglines:

He turned the American dream... into a nightmare! See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | Crime

Certificate:

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Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

23 December 1981 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Agentti iski takaisin  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The actor who played Pretty Willie (David Lemieux) was a member of the Black Panthers and later became a Chicago police detective. See more »

Quotes

Dan Freeman: [confronting members of the Cobras street gang] Shut up... and listen! The big-time, bad-ass Cobras. Pumpin' away at the Pigs from the rooftops during the riots last summer? Oh, yeah! I know what ya's into. With .22 rifles and pistols did about as much damage as a mosquito to a elephant's ass! What did you expect to hit from that range, with those weapons at night? You might as well as *thrown* the damned pieces at the Pigs! You *really* wanna mess with Whitey? I can show you how. *I* can show ...
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Connections

Spoofs Gone with the Wind (1939) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Though Dated, Still Fantastic
16 January 2010 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I can't remember how this ended up on my Netflix (I must have read about it in a book or magazine), but I was incredibly surprised. In my mind this rivals "Do the Right Thing"--without the polish. I've seen numerous "blaxploitation" films (not my favorite term), but this 1) doesn't pull any punches and 2) doesn't degenerate into demeaning sex and violence. Unlike films like "Shaft" that just made a white hero black, "The Spook Who Sat by the Door" probably gave the establishment a severe case of heartburn--I mean, can you consider this with white characters?! No. It's a black film through and through. The establishment can tolerate a "Superfly" or a "Shaft," but a film like this (more akin to "The Battle of Algiers") is borderline dangerous. I used to teach a film class, and if I still did, I may very well have considered showing this. An important film.


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