Drop Squad
| Drop Squad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | David C. Johnson |
| Screenplay by | David C. Johnson Butch Robinson |
| Story by | David Taylor David C. Johnson Butch Robinson |
| Produced by | Butch Robinson Shelby Stone |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Ken Kelsch |
| Edited by | Kevin Lee |
| Music by | Mike Bearden |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Gramercy Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $734,693 |
Drop Squad (sometimes spelled as DROP Squad or D.R.O.P. Squad) is a 1994 American drama film directed by David C. Johnson and executive produced by Spike Lee via his production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.[1] The plot depicts a team of African Americans who kidnap fellow black people who they feel have betrayed their community and seek to "deprogram" them so that they will change their ways.[2] The acronym DROP stands for "Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride".[3] The film has been described as "[p]art thriller, part social satire".[4]
The film was based in part on The Session, a 45-minute film Johnson produced in 1988 on a $20,000 budget,[5] and ultimately derived from a short story by David C. Taylor titled "The Deprogrammer".[6] Johnson described the differences between the two films as follows: "The short film was basically satire, an absurdist piece .... D.R.O.P. Squad, on the other hand, is realism. The characters have more at stake."[5]
Plot
[edit]The film portrays an advertising executive, Bruford Jamison Jr. who is in charge of the "minority development division" for an advertising agency.[2][6] Among the ad campaigns he is involved with is one for a malt liquor called "Mumblin' Jack", whose billboard depicts a woman in a skimpy bikini straddling a bottle, with the slogan "It Gits Ya Crazy!"[2][6] Another ad campaign depicted in the film is a commercial filled with racial stereotypes (in which Spike Lee has a cameo) for a fried chicken restaurant's Gospel-Pak, which offers a Bible verse printed on every napkin.[1][7] Bruford's sister Lenora (Nicole Powell) calls in the Drop Squad to deprogram him.[6] Bruford winds up being subjected to three weeks of psychological and physical brutality.[1] Among the other persons who are shown being subjected to the deprogramming are a corrupt politician and a drug dealer.[6]
The film also depicts a conflict among the members of the Drop Squad as to the tactics they should use. Rocky, the squad's leader, believes in using only nonviolent tactics,[2] such as "subjecting them to a barrage of slides, posters, slogans and family photographs in hopes of restoring their sense of community",[7] while Garvey believes that harsher methods have become necessary.[3]
Cast
[edit]- Eriq La Salle as Bruford Jamison, Jr.
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Rocky Seavers
- Ving Rhames as Garvey
- Kasi Lemmons as June Vanderpool
- Leonard Thomas as XB
- Nicole Powell as Lenora Jamison
- Eric A. Payne as Stokely
- Crystal Fox as Zora
- Vanessa Estelle Williams as Mali
Response
[edit]The total North American box office gross for the film was $734,693. The movie was dropped from the theaters it played when the movie Drop Zone was released weeks later.[8]
Drop Squad has been suggested as a possible influence on Spike Lee's 2000 film Bamboozled.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ebert, Roger (1994-10-28). "Drop Squad". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d Hinson, Hal (1994-10-28). "Drop Squad". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ a b Keith, Yvonne R. (Fall 1994). "Come Back Brother". Black Professional. p. 37. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ Klady, Leonard (1995-01-11). "Spike Lee's 'Drop Squad' Falls Short". The Rochester Sentinel. Rochester, Ind. Variety. p. 6, Compass section. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ a b Eugene Holley Jr. (November 1994). "Making Movies". Vibe. p. 111. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Peters, Ida (1994-10-29). "What does Spike Lee's 'Drop Squad' mask?". The Baltimore Afro-American. p. B6. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ a b Maslin, Janet (1994-10-28). "Film Review; A Satirical Look at Black Yuppies". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ "Drop Squad". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ Bogle, Donald (2001). Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films (4th ed.). New York: Continuum. pp. 361–362. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
bamboozled drop squad.
- ^ Pratt, Douglas (2004). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. Vol. 1. New York: Harbor Electronic Publishing. p. 109. ISBN 1-932916-00-8. Retrieved 2011-01-09.