I saw this film in Los Angeles in 1971. I was 13 and my cousin was 15, but we got into the theater, located in a lousy neighborhood without any problem. The film was really gross and trashy. But, people in the theater were cheering and going crazy when Sweetback was beating the heck out of the cops or banging away. Seemed to me the whole theme of this film was fu_k the establishment anyway you can. This movie was made and released at a time when the whole country was a total mess of rebellion, protest, and revolution. This worthless garbage got caught up with the movement and became a mega hit and a 'groundbreaking work if film art.' If released today, the movie would be a complete failure at the box office. The acting was horrible; the people involved looked like skid-row drug addicts. The best actor was the 250 pound man sitting on the toilet wearing a shower cap. Enough said. Pure trash. Trash that made over 16 million dollars. Only