The Spook Who Sat by the Door

"Their first mistake was letting him in. Their biggest mistake was letting him out!"

Dec 23 1981 PG 1h 42m
Action, Crime, Drama

A black man plays Uncle Tom in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American Revolution.

Plot

In order to improve his standing with Black voters, a White Senator starts a campaign for the CIA to recruit Black agents. However, all are graded on a curve and doomed to fail, save for a soft-spoken veteran named Dan Freeman. After grueling training in guerrilla warfare, clandestine operations and unarmed combat, he is assigned a meager job as the CIA's token Black employee. After five years of racist and stereotyped treatment by his superiors, he quietly resigns to return to his native Chicago to work for a social services agency...by day. By night, he trains a street gang to be the vanguard in an upcoming race war, using all that the CIA has taught him...

Written by

Sam Greenlee, Melvin Clay

Directed by

Ivan Dixon

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

United Artists, Bokari

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
1,867
Average Rating
7.2 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA