Dead Presidents (1995)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A group of Vietnam War veterans, struggling with the trauma and hardships of returning home, devise a plan to rob an armored car.
The story
In 1968, Anthony Curtis enlists in the United States Marine Corps to avoid college, later deploying to Vietnam where he and his squad commit various atrocities. Returning to the Bronx in 1973, Anthony finds it impossible to reintegrate into normal life. He faces severe post-traumatic stress disorder, unemployment, and financial instability while struggling to support his girlfriend and daughter. Desperate for a way out, Anthony joins a group of friends—including several other veterans and a militant activist—to plan a heist on an armored car stopping at the Noble Street Federal Reserve Bank.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1968, Anthony Curtis enlists in the Marines, deploying to Vietnam where he and his squad commit atrocities like executing prisoners. Upon returning to the Bronx in 1973, Anthony is haunted by PTSD and faces extreme poverty. He joins forces with his friend Kirby, other veterans Skip and Jose, a militant activist Delilah, and a religious minister Cleon to rob an armored car. The heist goes wrong: a police officer stumbles upon them, leading to a shootout where Kirby is shot and Skip kills the officer. Jose's attempt to blow the truck's door destroys the vehicle, and Delilah is killed by a guard. The group scatters; Jose is killed in a crash, and Skip dies of a heroin overdose. Cleon turns himself in to secure a plea bargain, revealing the others. Anthony is eventually captured. In court, despite his Silver Star and pleas for leniency based on his service, a judge who is a Marine veteran sentences him to fifteen years to life. Anthony reacts by throwing a chair at the judge before being taken away.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- The Hughes Brothers
- Writers
- Michael Henry Brown · screenplay; Albert Hughes · story; Allen Hughes · story; Michael Henry Brown · story
- Cast and characters
- Larenz Tate · Anthony Curtis; Keith David; Chris Tucker; N'Bushe Wright; Freddy Rodriguez; Bokeem Woodbine
- Genres
- crime; drama
- Themes
- struggle of returning war veterans of color; neglect by the US government; mistreatment of Vietnam veterans; denial of benefits and recognition
- Tone and mood
- mordant; powerful drama
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; heist; war; PTSD; veterans; Black power
- Reception
- Dead Presidents received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.8/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- Jada Pickett Smith was considered to portray Delilah Benson but turned it down out of respect for Tupac Shakur.; The film grossed $24.1 million domestically.; Principal photography took place in New York, Los Angeles, and Florida.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…