The unintentional shooting by police of a star basketball player has profound personal, political and community repercussions in this acclaimed adaptation of the novel Hog Butcher by Ronald Fair. This was one of the more thoughtful urban dramas produced at the height of the "blaxploitation" craze. Also released under the title Hit the Open Man, it features the screen debut of Laurence Fishburne, who was barely a teenager at the time.
Directed by Joseph Manduke
police brutality
coming of age
courtroom
basketball player
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.5 / 5
Cast
Moses Gunn
Benjamin Blackwell
Rosalind Cash
Sarah Robinson
Bernie Casey
Officer Larry Atkins
Madge Sinclair
Leona Hamilton
Laurence Fishburne
Wilford Robinson
Thalmus Rasulala
Charlie
Antonio Fargas
One-Eye
Logan Ramsey
Deputy Coroner
Charles Lampkin
Fred Jenkins
Stefan Gierasch
Sgt. Danaher
Stack Pierce
Sam Hamilton
Jamaal Wilkes
Nathaniel 'Cornbread' Hamilton
Crew
Joseph Manduke
Director
Donald Byrd
Original Music Composer
Jules Brenner
Director of Photography
Lynn Stalmaster
Casting Director
Popular Reviews
5 reviews
Branden T
8.0★ · 02/09/26
Wow.
After watching this, I learned that my dad saw this in theaters with his mother at 9 years old in 1975.
So, I say again: Wow.
Wow.
After watching this, I learned that my dad saw this in theaters with his mother at 9 years old in 1975.
So, I say again: Wow.
Silas Viland
8.0★ · 11/09/25
I got chills when Laurence Fishburne shouted "They killed Cornbread"
I got chills when Laurence Fishburne shouted "They killed Cornbread"
