Coonskin (1974) | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | Directed by Ralph Bakshi

Title: Coonskin (1974)

Alternate Title: Street Fight

Genre: Animation, Crime, Drama, Satire

Plot Synopsis:
A satirical crime film that combines live-action and animation to tell the story of Brother Rabbit, Brother Bear, and Preacher Fox, who rise to the top of the crime ranks in Harlem. They confront various adversaries, including a con-man, a racist cop, and the Mafia, highlighting themes of race relations and societal corruption in America.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Ralph Bakshi
• Writer: Ralph Bakshi
• Cast:
  • Philip Michael Thomas as Brother Rabbit
  • Barry White as Brother Bear
  • Charles Gordone as Preacher Fox
  • Scatman Crothers as Pappy / Old Man Bone
  • Al Lewis as The Godfather

YouTube Trailer:
Coonskin | Trailer

IMDb Link:
Coonskin (1974)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Darren Carver-Balsiger – ★★★★☆
   “Coonskin may be transgressive, but it is actually brilliant and genuinely artistic. Coonskin subverts terrible iconography to celebrate and exaggerate black culture. It is a provocative satire on society, and the social ills of racism and class that affect so many. Yes, Coonskin is offensive on the surface, but there is something very interesting, worthwhile, and righteous when examining the subtext and context.”
2. Mat Brunet (AniMat) – ★★★★★
   “Out of all of his films, Ralph Bakshi himself considers Coonskin to be his greatest work, and I couldn’t agree more.”
3. Devon B – ★★★½☆
   “The movie is a satirical film about America’s viewing of black people, the Hollywood industry, the mafia and the Blaxploitation genre that was very popular at the time. But of course just like a lot of other Bakshi films there are scenes that don’t make sense and feel as if it has nothing to do with the film. But it’s still a bizarre, crazy, weird sort of experience. I would have to give this movie 3 in a half thumbs up because it’s not an amazing movie but still good enough to scrape by. At least I think it is.”

Meta Description:
“Coonskin” (1974), also known as “Street Fight,” is a satirical crime film directed by Ralph Bakshi that blends live-action and animation to critique racial stereotypes and societal corruption in America.