Review: Doc 'The Black Panthers: The Vanguard Of The Revolution' A Compelling And Timely Exploration Of The Party

It’s almost too obvious to call Stanley Nelson’s “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution” timely. Yes, it’s timely because we still have to assert that #BlackLivesMatter nearly 50 years after the Panthers declared “black is beautiful.” It’s timely because of the deep soul searching over police brutality, and gun rights and who gets to have them, and because the Panthers recently showed up at a protest in Ferguson sporting rifles like it was 1967. It’s timely, because, as this documentary will make you question, what has truly changed in those 50 years? 

READ MORE: Watch This Exclusive Clip From 'The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution'

It’s also timely with N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton” currently trouncing all comers at the box office, a true August phenomenon. It’s not explicitly illustrated in Nelson’s film, as it ends with the dissolution of the party’s first incarnation, but a direct line can be drawn from the disintegration of the Panthers to the gang...