Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Bereamic Awesome Movie

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

mojo2004 I agree this movie could have been better but looking back now I'd say it was exactly what people were looking to see on the screen.All the films with Black cast had the same feel to them and we ate it up.Two of the best that strayed from all that were not talked about as much as the action pictures."Sounder" and "The Learning Tree" which also need to be shown more on TV.As for this film I liked the actor who played the lead.Lawrence Cook who I see died 3 yrs ago was exactly what I pictured Dan Freeman to be like.I recommend this film and i'd love to see a Black film channel that gives you some commentary along with the films as TCM does.Where's Max Julien? How about all the black actresses who paved the way for those working now.Not Hattie McDaniel but Gloria Hendry,Brenda Sykes,Shelia Frazier and Judy Pace just to name a few.I know Vonetta McGee who was with Max Julien on screen and in real life for a time ,married Carl Lumbly.Lonette McKee was on TV often at one time and Rosalind Cash has passed away.Anyhoo see this movie and then see another black film and another.Then pick up a book.Or do both read the book "Native Son" then watch the film "Native Son"-any version."The River Niger" is on DVD in the dollar bin but it's good.If only because James Earl Jones and Glen Turman are in it.

mgmax Okay, by the low budget standards of blaxploitation films-- say, Three The Hard Way, which also deals with revolution on a cartoon level-- this is relatively intelligent, even witty (the idea that black men can sneak in anywhere-- as long as they look like janitors), and not full of howlingly silly things. That said, like Ganja and Hess it has been wildly overrated just because it's not ridiculous; it still has the snail's pace, relative lack of action and just-better-than-Oscar- Micheaux production values that mark the 70s genre. Say what you will about today's gangsta exploitation movies, they've got film-school style and a snappy pace even when they have nothing else.

nuport This interesting drama hits dead on point for those of who dream of a better government and a better America .In the film ,a racist politician losing in the polls and fearing the loss of the so-called Negro vote decides to give the people a few crumbs off the table by allowing some black men to be recruited into the CIA. Certain under handed deals are made to insure none of these men will succeed ,however one guy makes it through all the rigorous training and educating. And in an incredible graduation scene (see it to believe it!)is congratulated for being the 1st of his race into the CIA. The films budgetary restraints are apparent throughout, but the entire cast deliver good performances most convincingly the main character.I won't spoil it suffice to say the guy gets to put all the training to very good use,as he resigns from the racist system and sets out to make real change for his community. I would give this 15*s

Baroque Dan Freeman (played by Lawrence Cook) is a token black CIA operative. Trained in all sorts of espionage, he is relegated to working in the copying department as a "showcase" employee of integration. As the title suggests, he's placed by the door of the office so he's the first person everyone sees. Incensed by his mistreatment (and the racial stereotyping of his superiors), he resigns to his native Chicago as a social services worker.Secretly, he is training a street gang into a guerrilla army to be the vanguard in a race war, using all of his training by "the man" against "the man".The details are impressive. Freeman explains how to establish a hierarchy in an underground movement, how to recruit new members, living on the street, and forming new cells. He also details how racial stereotypes can be used to one's advantage, citing how no one ever notices a smiling black man in an office carrying a mop.The film is a faithful adaptation of Sam Greenlee's controversial novel of the same title, and a haunting look at what MIGHT have (and maybe damned near) happened in the USA during that turbulent period of history. The film was quickly followed by a long line of "blaxploitation" films, often made with little regard for content and style. But "Spook", shot on a small budget, has a powerful message: Never underestimate anyone! Not even "the spook who sat by the door"!As a motion picture, it does have technical weaknesses, but the drama is well-played, the plot is very tight and the characters are believable. The language, however, is very harsh. A white man (like myself) may find the diatribes against "whitey" shocking, but this film was made during a time of great racial strife, and it echos those times.Made in 1973, it still packs a punch, and is worth tracking down and buying (Do a web-search! That's how I got my copy!).A ground-breaking film! (Does anyone but me catch the irony of the main character's name? "Free Man"?)