Top of the Heap

Written and directed by Black filmmaker Christopher St. John (SHAFT), this film is a majestic melding of genre thrills, sociological rage, and psychedelic experimentation. George (St. John) is a cop in Washington, DC, and he’s proud to be one of the few Black officers on the force. Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same. When George is overlooked for a promotion, he loses his handhold on reality and launches a personal vendetta against street crime. That is, when he’s not visiting alternate galaxies as an astronaut in his tripped-out dreams.

Originally billed as an American blaxploitation flick, St. John’s film was nominated for the Gold Bear award at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival and is being seen in a new light as a proto-avant-garde work ahead of its time.