The Killing Floor (1985)
Director: Bill Duke
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Black migration from the Deep South at the time of World War I, as seen through the eyes of Frank Custer (Leake), a sharecropper who comes to the 'Promised Land' of Chicago, to sweep animal remains from the floor of the slaughterhouse. Finding himself caught up in an emerging trade union movement, he attempts to convince his fellow black workers that the struggle for decent working conditions must transcend traditional racial antagonisms. Director Duke's work is like a large wooden spoon filled with gristle, blood, black and trade union history; it's kind of hard to swallow all at once. Still, it does portray an often neglected aspect of American history, while offering a less than loving glimpse at what really goes into the all-American cheeseburger.Author: SGo
Cast & crew
Director: Bill Duke
Producer: George Manasse
Cast: Damien Leake, Alfre Woodard, Clarence Felder, Moses Gunn, Jason Green, Jamarr Johnson full cast
Duration: 117 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Ang Lee talks 'Taking Woodstock'
Ang Lee talks to Tom Huddleston about his tale of the men behind history’s greatest music festival
Sheffield Doc/Fest round-up
Sheffield’s annual Doc/Fest is Britain’s largest documentary festival. Edward Lawrenson learnt a few new things by taking the train north.
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations











What do you think?
Post your review now