Find Movies & TV
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover
Explore
Movies & TV Shows
Most Popular
Leaving Soon
Categories
Action
Animation
Comedy
Crime
Descriptive Audio
Documentary
Drama
En Español
Horror
Music
Romance
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Western
Explore
Browse Channels
Featured Channels
Stargate by MGM
Hallmark Movies & More
The First 48 by A&E
Categories
Hit TV
Drama TV
True Crime
Comedy
News
Sports
Reality
History & Science
Movies
Sci-Fi & Action
Classic TV
Food & Home
Lifestyle
Nature & Travel
Daytime TV
Game Shows
Kids & Family
Anime+
Chills & Thrills
International
En Español
Music
Sign In
Native Son
Directed by
Jerrold Freedman
PG
1986
1h 51m
Drama
,
Romance
6.0
50%
25%
Add to Watchlist
In 1940s Chicago, a young black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills the teenage daughter of the couple and then tries to cover it up.
More
Where to Watch Native Son
Kanopy
Free
Cast of Native Son
Victor Love
Bigger Thomas
Matt Dillon
Jan
Elizabeth McGovern
Mary Dalton
Geraldine Page
Peggy
Oprah Winfrey
Mrs. Thomas
Akosua Busia
Bessie
Carroll Baker
Mrs. Dalton
John McMartin
Mr. Dalton
Art Evans
Doc
John Karlen
Max
Willard E. Pugh
Gus
David Rasche
Buckley
Ving Rhames
Jack
Lane Smith
Britton
George D. Wallace
Judge
Chuck Hicks
White Man #4
Jerrold Freedman
Director
Richard Wright
Writer
Diane Silver
Producer
Native Son Ratings & Reviews
Gay Community News (Boston)
Kate Rushin
Freedman presents the plot of the novel without seeming to understand or respect Wright's purpose.
TV Guide
Ultimately, the film fails because of Silver's fears of offending the audience, the same fear that Wright himself faced and overcame.
Kalamazoo Gazette
James Sanford
Well-intended but deadly dull
New York Times
Vincent Canby
The film makers haven't listened to Wright. They appear to have been aiming at the same genteel audience that insists on seeing something sentimental and upbeat even in a television movie-of-the-week about AIDS.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The movie understands that the story really is about the killer's point of view. It is not the story of a crime, not a docudrama, not a sociological essay.
Washington Post
Richard Harrington
Transforms the novel into an all-too-genteel crime story, denuded of rage, devoid of social and historic context.
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
Unfortunately, drama translates as melodrama and speechy, preachy dialogue tells us we're watching something that's good for us.
Watch Native Son Videos
Native Son
Native Son
Trailer
Take Plex everywhere
Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover