Dead Presidents

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Dead Presidents
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	The Hughes Brothers
Screenplay by	Michael Henry Brown
Story by	Albert Hughes Allen Hughes Michael Henry Brown
Produced by	Albert Hughes Allen Hughes
Starring	Larenz Tate Keith David Chris Tucker N'Bushe Wright Freddy Rodriguez Bokeem Woodbine
Cinematography	Lisa Rinzler
Edited by	Dan Lebental
Music by	Danny Elfman
Production companies	Hollywood Pictures Caravan Pictures Underworld Entertainment
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date	October 4, 1995 (1995-10-04)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$24.1 million (domestic)[1]

Dead Presidents is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate and his experiences during the Vietnam War as a Recon Marine. As he returns to his hometown in The Bronx, Curtis finds himself struggling to support himself and his family, eventually turning to a life of crime.

Dead Presidents is based partly on the real-life experiences of Haywood T. Kirkland (aka Ari S. Merretazon), whose true story was detailed in the book Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans by Wallace Terry. Certain characters from the film are based on real acquaintances of Kirkland, who served time in prison after committing robbery in facepaint.^[2] The film also is loosely based on several incidents involving the Black Liberation Army, notably the Brink's armored truck robbery.