Top Of The Heap is an ACAB text for the ages
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ffers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just our own inscrutable whims. This week: To kick off Black History Month, we’re looking back on genre films by unsung or underappreciated Black filmmakers.
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We first see
Top Of The Heap’s
beat cop protagonist George Lattimer as he surveys a muddy brawl between construction workers and hippies. “Bullshit!” he snarls before the frame freezes on a low-angle shot of him in riot gear. A title card appears: “Produced, Written, Directed by and Starring Christopher St. John.” Almost immediately following this introduction, Lattimer is thrown to the ground and hit in the face with a piss balloon. It neatly encapsulates Lattimer’s damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t internal conflict. Like Rodney Dangerfield, he receives no respect from anyone: his family criticizes him for being absent, his superiors