Cult/ Joe Bullet

With the cup final replay approaching, the rivalry between local football teams The Eagles and The Falcons takes a violent turn. Fearing for their safety, The Eagles call on the only man who can help, Joe Bullet: an all-action vigilante, football coach, master of disguise and karate expert. Joe sets about leading The Eagles to glory, but along the way he’ll need to overcome ambushes, booby-traps and a moustachioed assassin. 

South Africa’s answer to Shaft, also made in 1971, Joe Bullet enjoyed a rather less auspicious start than its American cousin. One of the first South African films to feature an all-African cast, Joe Bullet was banned by the apartheid government shortly after its release, and remained largely unseen for almost 4 decades. 

Bearing all the hallmarks of classic blaxploitation – a charismatic hero, swinging soundtrack and raucous action sequences – and now restored to its former glory, Joe Bullet signals the return of South Africa’s original black action hero. 

Sat 27 Apr 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Freedom Day – a public holiday in South Africa commemorating the country’s first post-apartheid elections. 

Mark the occasion at HOME with a pair of censor-defying films that provide a rare insight into the lives and creativity of Black South Africans living under the regime. Joe Bullet screens Fri 26 Apr and Mapantsula screens Sun 28 Apr.