In honor of its 30th anniversary, Hollywood Entertainment is proud to present director David C. Johnson's DROP Squad in its original 114-minute running time via his personal copy. The film was the first to be executive produced by Spike Lee and is the provocative tale of an advertising executive kidnapped by a black militant group (the Deprogramming and Restoration of Pride Squad) who target black people they consider detrimental to their community. This is the first opportunity since the film's test screening in 1994 to see this cut in Los Angeles-- which was later restructured and truncated by nearly 30 minutes.

Johnson will appear in person to contextualize the story of Drop Squad's adaptation (from a story called "The Deprogrammer" by David C. Taylor and Johnson's award-winning short film The Session) to its studio-compromised status-- which led to Johnson's removal from the film. It is a unique and fascinating look at the difficulties of making a (serious) satire within the studio system. This cut allows for a deeper explication of its themes, striking style (which pays tribute to classics like Foxy Brown), and the full, intended range of performances from its stunning cast including Eriq LaSalle, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Ving Rhames, Kasi Lemmons, Leonard L. Thomas, and Vanessa Williams.