Putney Swope

An unforgettable masterpiece of late-’60s counterculture, Robert Downey Sr.’s Putney Swope remains a vital provocation on race, pop culture and America. Putney Swope, the only African-American exec at his firm, is unexpectedly elected its president and turns the industry on its ear through a series of outrageous, taboo-busting TV commercials (strewn throughout the film like comedic landmines.) As Swope becomes the Generalissimo of Madison Avenue, Downey takes no prisoners and skewers the entire political spectrum. Essential viewing. (American Genre Film Archive)