Drop Squad [VHS]

The DROP squad is a fictional group of guerrilla deprogrammers, urban Black Panthers for the socially misguided. Eriq LaSalle, an ambitious advertising executive in a Madison Avenue firm who plays on offensive stereotypes to sell products to the black community, is their next target: they kidnap him off the streets and put him through a intensive, harrowing, and sometime violent regime of psychological battering to put him back in touch with his roots, Meanwhile, a struggle rages in the organization between its idealistic leader (Vondie Curtiss-Hall) and his aggressive right-hand man (Ving Rhames) over the direction the organization should take: the formerly nonviolent intervention has transformed into an elaborate, highly stylized form of psycho-drama only steps away from A Clockwork Orange. The cartoonish exaggeration of the flashbacks, blunt symbolism (from the icon-laden decor to names like Stokely, Garvey, and X for the DROP squad members), and preachy tone turn the film into a misguided circus that can't decide if it's social satire or political propaganda. Despite good performances throughout and a strong visual style, first-time director David Clark Johnson's feature fails to develop his provocative metaphors and promising concepts into a well thought-out drama. --Sean Axmaker

Rated R (Restricted)

Eriq La Salle, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Ving Rhames, Kasi Lemmons, Leonard L. Thomas