ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

Bringing to light more than just his great music.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 2 June 2019]

"The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" is a fascinating documentary, whether you are familiar with the music of Sam Cooke or not. While I have loved his music for decades and had some passing knowlege of how he died, the film did a great job of bringing it all to light and putting it in context. After all, it was incredibly weird that a young and incredibly successful pop singer would be on top of the world one day and then killed the next and it being ruled a justifiable homicide!

The story doesn't just recount his death but puts it in context. I didn't know that he was involved with the civil rights movement and that he was friends with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. Overall, a very well told biography...especially because so many who knew and loved him are still alive and participated in this project. Well worth seeing as well as quite sad.

what a wonderful world it is with Sam Cooke's music

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 1 May 2019]

You might not know the name Sam Cooke but you've probably heard at least one of his songs. Probably the most obvious place is a certain movie scene where John Belushi's slovenly student is stuffing himself in a cafeteria. Cooke was behind some of the songs that defined the early '60s.

But there was another Cooke. Oh he was the same man, all right. But he wasn't just the melodious voice singing "nice" songs. He also addressed political issues of the era, and befriended Muhammad Ali. His murder in a motel led to theories that it was an assassination to prevent him from leading a movement.

Netflix's "ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" looks at this. The title refers to the murder, and the recording companies' subsequent efforts to suppress Cooke's political stances so as to make him palatable to white audiences. The viewers can draw their own conclusions about what happened in that motel that night, but let's not forget Cooke's activism. He was a great singer and a great man, if flawed. Not the greatest documentary - it prods you to think some things - but I recommend it.

"I will do what I wanna do." - Sam Cooke

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 27 June 2020]

I can't help contrasting this documentary with the brilliant book written by Peter Guralnik - "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke". For the first forty five minutes or so, the film deftly handles the inspirational rise of Sam Cooke from his early days with The Soul Stirrers, his agonizing decision to venture into the world of pop music, and the accolades accorded him as he eventually rose to the top of the music charts along side Elvis Presley. We hear from contemporaries who knew and loved Cooke, including figures like Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Quincy Jones, Lloyd Price, Billy Davis and pro football great Jim Brown. They all acknowledge Sam's contribution to pop music while advocating for civil rights during an era that was still predominantly racist in certain parts of the country. His association with such disparate personalities as Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), Malcolm X, and Jim Brown helped pave the way for tolerance among the races, while forging an immensely popular body of work that appealed to both black and white audiences.

Where the documentary goes off the rails for me is in it's conspiratorial tone regarding the death, some would say murder, of Sam Cooke. In that regard, the extremely well researched Guralnik book delves into Cooke's death with a dispassionate approach that explores both sides. Yes, Sam had his enemies in the music and political world, and the figure of Allen Klein taking advantage of Cooke offers an intriguing hook into what might be considered a motive for murder. However the events on the night of December 11th, 1964 would have required an impossible confluence of coincidences to occur for his killing to have been planned and staged. For one, Cooke had picked up a woman named Elisa Boyer, unknown to him to be a prostitute, and took her to the seedy Hacienda Hotel in Los Angeles. When Boyer fled his hotel room with his clothes, the naked Cooke wearing only a sport jacket and one shoe, ran to the manager's office and demanded to know her whereabouts. Following an argumentative confrontation with Cooke, hotel clerk Bertha Franklin shot him with a gun kept in the office. Just prior to the shooting, Ms. Franklin was on the phone with the hotel's manager, Evelyn Carr, who heard the intrusion and the following gunshot on the phone. Both Franklin and Carr passed a polygraph test on their version of events.

It's only natural that Sam Cooke's wife and family would question the police investigation of the murder, refusing to acknowledge his aberrant behavior on the night he was killed. Yet to this day, no concrete evidence has ever been presented to support a criminal conspiracy. I don't fault Cooke's contemporaries for questioning the circumstances of his death, but it appears to come from a sense of loyalty than to an acceptance of the facts. And if I'm wrong, I'd be glad to admit it in the face of new evidence. With all that mentioned, I'll go on record as a big fan of Sam Cooke the singer, who paved the way for many of the pop, blues, and soul musicians popular today. He died much too early, and it's not inconceivable that if he were still alive, he'd be considered a grand patriarch of the present music scene.

Change gon come

[d_penn · 7/10 · 9 February 2023]

I had no idea what this man had to endure and what a fighter he was only to have his life snuffed out too young...yes black lives matter..thank God its not AS racist as it was back then but evil government and law authorities still do... Absolutely incredible documentary. So much history and talent from Sam. I'm glad this exists. I was able to learn not only about Sam's activism, but his business ventures and the stain on white America. Fascinating and powerful documentary about a national treasure. His life was mysteriously cut too short. Educational, inspiring, Highly recommended. Required watching! Must watch - Nuff said.

Makes you think

[bdench · 9/10 · 12 February 2019]

Why hasn't any serious filmmakers made a movie about Sam Cooke's life and, the probable cover-up of, his death?! Would make a very compelling film if in the right hands.

No conspiracy needed

[alice-enland · 6/10 · 22 May 2019]

Well done documentary; I enjoyed it. I was a teenager when Cooke was popular and I learned a lot watching this. Let me digress. I believe the public has always had a very hard time accepting that a strange little man named Lee Oswald, who could barely hold down minimum wage jobs, could singlehandedly murder the handsome and vital president of the United States. We look at Cooke and see all that talent and potential and we can't stomach blaming his death on the tawdry set of circumstances of the official police version. But, the facts are that Cooke liked his gin ... a lot ... that he was drinking a lot that night, he was flashing around a wad of cash and he left the bar with a hooker and went to a three dollar "no-tell" motel with her. These are the sorts of bad decisions that can get you killed. Who knows the full truth but I don't find the official version at all impossible. People say "Sam wasn't like that" but I'm afraid he was.

Enjoyed This Documentary... Others Missed

[Mehki_Girl · 8/10 · 19 April 2020]

... the point. First, the documentary is about a famous black man and the people who knew him that were in the business of making music when he was making music.

I didn't know his connection to the civil rights movement or that he started a record company to keep black money in the hands of talented black artists. Sam's music and live clips are played throughout, making this very enjoyable.

For the dissenters here - no, dude, unless you are black in America, especially during that time, you can't fathom the black experience - you just can't - so just accept that fact.

For the other dude who seemed so disappointed that they didn't dedicate this documentary to every single one of Sam's human flaws, but on his activism on behalf of his people in this sick country and his incredible talents, instead of devoting it to the womanizing of a handsome, famous heterosexual pop star who had multiple female sex partners - never happened before or since - alert the media! So, so sorry they didn't dig up all in the tabloid dirt for you. Must have been so disappointing they didn't drag his bullet-ridden naked body in full rigor through the mud for your entertainment.

For the other dude who somehow doesn't have comprehension skills, the talking heads are not saying they believe there was some government or entertainment world conspiracy related to his death, but that they could understand why black people would believe so, given the government's and law enforcement's (and let's not forget the medical profession's) treatment of black people in this country. It's what people do - speculate. I think there are still sightings of Elvis and people still believe the mafia or the government killed Kennedy.

Plain sight

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 1 August 2019]

Or maybe not so plain. The running time of the ReMastered series is really a draw and of course the subject matters they choose are too. The fact you could call them "Unsolved" instead of ReMastered (I actually have no idea why they went with that title) is a ... mystery.

And while this is coherent and sheds light on many aspects of Sam Cooke (his life, friends, influence and music), it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Or does speculate like every good documenatry does (?). Good structure and fine intervews make it engaging, if you can cope with a maybe not satisfying conclusion ... again

No Facts were Changed

[Dee9807 · 10/10 · 10 February 2019]

This documentary was excellent! It's time for the truth to come out! I read Sam Cooke's great nephew, Erik Greene, book years ago. I've never believed the story that was told in the media. I am going to trust the word of the family, his friends and the retired police officer ( who worked the area) then a few people who continue to push a false narrative. Also, I haven't found one website that states that Jesse Belvin had a driver. I could be wrong but I didn't see one. Again, this document was long overdue. Please, please don't allow people to continue to destroy this man's legacy with lies. Please read his great nephew's book, Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story from his Family's Perspective. It has a lot of information that was not included in this documentary.

Was OK but nothing to write home about...

[mtman-32804 · 6/10 · 10 February 2019]

To be honest it should have just been called "The life and legend of Sam Cooke". They spent about 10 seconds on the actual murder. 5 seconds devoted to the woman who actually admitted to killing him and 5 seconds on a quick list of conspiracies. Otherwise it had very little to do with the actual murder. In the end I enjoyed the historic relevance but I felt a bit battered by the constant mantra that I'll never understand the black experience.

Educating the Masses on Sam Cooke

[Magnolia_Green · 9/10 · 23 February 2019]

Wow! I never knew Sam Cooke was a mover and a shaker the way he was. He was Puffy Before Puff was born. I mean...the amazing potential that was shot down in his literal prime. His murder is very similar to how black men are being murdered now. Sketchy circumstances. Unreliable witnesses. Shotty police work. And an amazing talent snuffed out. His own record label. Publishing company. Singer. Sing writer. And more. That voice was....hypnotizing. I was still left with some questions. Because after Sam was killed. His protégé and friend Bobby Womack married his wife. Lol. I GOT QUESTIONS! But it was a very enlightening documentary that everyone should watch.

Sam Cooke had a perfect voice and image but not a perfect character

[aberger79 · 6/10 · 10 February 2019]

I don't mean to slander Cooke with that title. Even though he is my favorite singer of that era, and the owner of the sweetest, most graceful voice I have ever heard, I have to accept based on the research I've done (it doesn't take much) that he was not murdered. There was no conspiracy to kill him. He, with no help from anyone else, set in motion the chain of events that led to his incredibly tragic and humiliating death. He did this by behaving in a violent and unseemly manner, entirely unbecoming to the squeaky clean image he had so carefully cultivated.

I think this documentary does a great job highlighting the musical genius and wide array of other talents this man had. Sam's gift to the world will be everlasting, and he obviously had a tremendous impact on his many fans and of course the people who knew and loved him best.

But I think it was a big mistake to put such a strong emphasis on the "conspiracy" angle. It diminishes the impact of the rest of the film. That is, if you have done even 5 minutes of research into what happened that night, rather than taking the word of a friend or family member who, understandably, found it difficult to accept that Sam could have acted in such a way. I am sure plenty of people will come away from this movie thinking there was some organized, insidious effort to "do away" with Sam, and that is a shame. Why can't we just accept that he was not a perfect guy, and he made an ill judged, fatal decision that night? No one is perfect, and stars of his caliber were and always will be exposed to many more temptations than the average person.

I will end this by quoting from an NPR interview, in which the author of "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke", Peter Guralnick, says the following:

"Well, his death carried such reverberations within the black community. You know, it was, in a sense, so inexplicable and so sordid in its circumstances and so contrary to the image of Sam Cooke, and the result is that, I would say, within the community, there is not a single person who believes that Sam Cooke died as he is said to have died, killed by a motel owner at a cheap motel in Los Angeles called the Hacienda, which he had gone to with a prostitute named Elisa Boyer. I could have filled 100 pages of the book with an appendix on all the theories about his death.

The central tenet of every one of those theories is that this was a case of another proud black man brought down by the white establishment who simply didn't want to see him grow any bigger. I looked into this very carefully. I had access to the private investigator's report, which nobody has seen and which filled in a good many more details. And no evidence has ever been adduced to show--to prove any of these theories. But, you know, it's--the love that people felt for Sam Cooke, I think, is far more significant than the circumstances of his death. But in the research that I did and also all the people who were closest to him, I don't know anyone who doubts the official story, as much as they might wish that it were otherwise."

Very misleading title, this is a bio doc that speculates on conspiracies.

[markdeeshapland · 4/10 · 20 February 2019]

I was disappointed. Tells how great Sam Cooke was (he was), and how it must have been the government that killed him, but even that isn't explored. This is his life story and a very short and shallow telling of it at that.

Interesting biopic

[muamba_eats_toast · 7/10 · 31 March 2020]

I'd never heard of Sam Cooke before this so I found it extremely interesting from start to finish. It is done extremely well but I can't say it overly stood out from over good biopics/true crime documentary with so many out there nowadays all in all though that doesn't take away from this being very good and a worthwhile watch.

Beautiful Man

[AJ_McAninch · 8/10 · 29 July 2020]

Sam Cooke was a beautiful young man and a brilliant artist. The film is at its best when it focuses on the man and his talent. Tragically, we will never know the full truth, so the speculation was unwarranted. Just tell his story and weep for his loss to his family, friends, the entire music industry-and all of us who love great music. It just breaks my heart we never got to see him fly even higher in music and social activism. But I'm grateful more youth will learn about him and discover his songs and that voice.

Trying to make a killing on Sam Cooke

[st-shot · 6/10 · 4 March 2019]

I can recall no singer of any color being able to move between the races (outside of Jim Crow South) with such popularity as Sam Cooke the gospel, soul singing pop star destined for superstardom (if not already) when he was gunned down in an LA motel seeking out some "strange." It was a loss to music that far exceeded the similar tragedy of John Lennon in that the already famous Cooke was an arrow pointing up and moving perhaps into a new area of appeal with his latest hit "Shake" expanding his style from pop to rock.

In this doc on the singer we are mislead into thinking it is a re-investigation into the motel shooting with the possibility of a massive conspiratorial cover-up possibly related to Cooke's courageous activism (he refused to do segregated shows, did tours of the South when he did not have to) regarding civil rights. It is a bit of a stretch with speculation being relegated to last 15 minutes of the film with most of it hearsay and far from the detail available in bios available for years.

What does make the film worthwhile however is its subject and the story of his rise and success through newsreel and performances along with interviews with friends, fellow musicians and intimates. It reveals an incredibly natural and graceful personality featuring one of the truly great voices of the twentieth century who had at least 30 good years in front of him when tragedy struck. Compare him to stiffs like Andy Williams or Pat Boone who paled in comparison to his smooth style, beating them at their own game while having the ability to belt out soul the equal of Marvin Gaye. The future was wide open for Cooke with anything (variety show, Vegas, touring) in the entertainment business he wanted as well as being an eloquent spokesman and committed individual for Civil Rights. His loss as an entertainer spreading joy through his music was large but his loss as the man in full was beyond enormous. Give him a listen now and feel the pain.

From a documentary to a conspiracy.

[dannybaker-03181 · 8/10 · 25 February 2019]

Sam Cooke was killed 4 months after I was born, so the only thing that I knew about him was my fav, YOU SEND ME, and his other songs came after that. Watching this was interesting to me. Him being raised in a gospel family and joining a gospel group, only to leave and go secular and make it big time...he did his thing. It was fear of losing EVERYTHING that he had built and his vices that not only caught up to him, but got him killed...or so we're told. According to this, there is the truth told to the public and several alternatives that not many thought of, but still held in regard. VERY interesting. It was a documentary that was a long time coming and I'm glad that my buddy told me about it and had me jump on board.

Disappointed

[barnstorm13 · 6/10 · 17 February 2019]

It is a very good and informative documentary, till the end. They ruined it. SEMI-SPOILER: instead of a womanizing money show-off getting rolled . . . . oh please, really? Wasted my time.

Intriguing analysis...

[daniele-iannarelli · 8/10 · 17 February 2019]

Having been a great - albeit latter-day - admirer of this revolutionary vocalist, I found this analysis of his life, career and untimely death particularly intriguing.

To say that he seemed to have accumulated a lot of 'enemies' would be an understatement. Not only, does it seem, that organised crime (mafia) had reason to feel threatened by Cooke's ambitions, but also the American government amongst other institutions had reasoned concerns.

The conclusion highlighted food for thought of the obvious disparity in the evidence presented to the public enquiry.

Something's just not right.

Whether a political 'hit', an organised crime 'hit' or both... this great man's name seems to have been unjustly tarnished.

Very informative and intriguing documentary.

Ain't That Bad News...

[Lejink · 6/10 · 18 January 2022]

This Netflix documentary on the life and death of the great soul-singer and song-writer Sam Cooke opens with the shocking image of Cooke's slain body slumped inside the doorway of a cheap Chicago motel. According to a couple who were friends of his and had accompanied him that night to a bar, Cooke was somewhat inebriated and was flashing a wad of money around while pursuing a young woman there. The couple left to go home and we get to hear the actual phone calls made to the police that night, one by the girl claiming that she'd been kidnapped and didn't know where she was and then when Cooke's shooting was phoned in. The story goes that this young woman was a call-girl and had tried to steal the singer's trousers containing his cash, Cooke had rumbled her in the act and while banging on the door of the female hotel manager there for attention, said manageress shot him repeatedly to death.

This was a squalid ending to a stellar career which had so much more to give. Cooke had in the can two classic sides of a single which was released posthumously and went top ten in the U. S., the dance-floor filler "Shake" and what has come to be known both as his signature song and a rallying call for the Civil Rights movement, the magnificent "A Change Is Gonna Come". Who knows what he might yet have accomplished?

As well as being handsome, a beautiful singer and gifted writer, Cooke had business aspirations and had set up his own record label and publishing company. He'd aligned himself with the Civil Rights movement, not only by starting to sing protest songs like "Blowing In The Wind", but also by boycotting a racially segregated concert in Memphis,

Unsurprisingly, a good number of grandiose statements and probably apocryphal anecdotes are recounted in front of the cameras by surviving family, friends and admirers, but I was more convinced by the verité audio and video recordings of Cooke himself in his time.

Theories are expounded that Cooke's killing was no accident but I was less convinced of this especially when his company secretary of the time freely revealed that Cooke, perhaps in response to the tragic death of his infant son, was a serial womaniser and just found himself in a bad situation but other theories taking in his shady manager Allan Klein or his involvement with Civil Rights activists like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali are also aired.

Like I said, I was left less than convinced by any of these conspiracy theories but I was otherwise entertained by this story of a remarkable musical talent. It had its faults I felt, possibly arising from its own agenda regarding Cooke's relation to black activism and on the musical side by overstraining to connect him to major white acts of the day like Elvis or the Rolling Stones, the latter of whom were only connected to Cooke by recording a song written by an artist on his record label. He's even credited with introducing the Afro hairstyle to America.

Still, squalid demise excepted, this was an interesting and entertaining documentary on one of the greatest ever soul artists and one only wonders why Hollywood has never thought to adapt his colourful life to the big screen before now.

A fine biography

[richard-1787 · 8/10 · 16 January 2023]

I found this to be a fascinating biography of singer - and song writer - Sam Cooke, about whom I knew very little. It was interesting to hear various people who had worked with him or knew him talk about him. It's short - only 74 minutes - and well worth watching if you would like to learn about the artist.

But I do have a few reservations:

First is the issue of the conspiracy theories suggested in the last part of the movie. I know that Americans love conspiracies, but I didn't feel the movie presented enough facts to support them. Yes, it would definitely seem that Cooke was set up by a prostitute working with at least two other people, the person to whom she threw his pants - containing $5000 in cash that he had flashed in the bar where he met her - through the motel window when she took him back there for *business*, and the night clerk who actually shot Cooke. That they all worked together seems very clear.

What seemed less clear and convincing to me was that either the FBI, as racist as J Edgar Hoover was, or the record industry would have used such low-level criminals to assassinate Cooke. I would certainly be willing to accept - with evidence - that members of the KKK used that trio to kill Cooke, but the movie never suggests that. We repeatedly see Cooke mobbed by white fans, young women, in what must have been appearances on 1950s and early 60s tv. I can well imagine some particularly hateful members of the Klan seeing that and deciding that they needed to do away with Cooke. Though even there, they usually carried out their dirty work themselves.

Second, as a few of the 25 previous reviewers have mentioned, some of the speakers, friends of Cooke, try a little too hard to make Cooke a leading figure in the Civil Rights Movement. As one of them wrote, he was no Thurgood Marshall. Cooke certainly sympathized with it, and a few of his songs do seem to support it, but there is no point in blowing that out of proportion.

Then, finally, a small pet peeve. The various interviewees - and there are a fair number of them - are identified only when they first appear. This is a shame. There was no way I could keep track of them all, nor, I suspect, could most viewers. Many Netflix documentaries do this, and I think it's a shame. Nothing is lost by repeating the indentifications every time the person speaks.

That said, I still found this a very interesting movie. I now know a lot more about Sam Cooke, and his place in the music industry of his time. The movie did a good job of contextualizing his career, and I appreciated that.

Turns predictable

[happycarrot68 · 5/10 · 18 February 2019]

What starts off as a promising insight into Sam Cooke's career quickly turns into a conspiracy theory with little proof or objective points of view. Sam Cooke was a popular black entertainer and did at times raise social issues in his music but wasn't the object of government groups in the way that say Malcolm X was perceived due to his hate speeches regarding integration. This documentary is one sided and way too tipped in favour of a murder by those who knew him and never deals with Cooke's womanising and love of prostitutes that he was so known for. True he mixed in dangerous circles at times re equality but his temper was renowned when it came to woman which proved to be his downfall. No balanced evidence from the interviews is at any time shown in this film and opinion is simply biased and at no time factual. Is simply friends of Sam Cooke glamourising him and not dealing with the fact that his death was simply a prostitute too far or an attempted assault . A poor conspiracy theory of a documentary

Some Fact Changing to Fit a Narrative.

[ashleybe03 · 3/10 · 9 February 2019]

Just wanted to say this about the part about Jesse Belvin. They said someone 'slashed the tires' and killed him. Not true, his driver fell asleep and the driver had been fired by another musician because he kept falling asleep while driving. Don't change fact because it makes your personal narrative, of which you weren't even alive for, sound better. Racism was in the south back then NO DOUBT but don't lie about this man being murdered. Also Sam Cooke liked LOTS of women and prostitutes. Just like Elvis liked underage girls. Let's look at Thurgood Marshall and there is a true fighter of the civil rights who put his life on the line defending innocent black men. Just saying let's not preach too much about a man who had so many sins and turn him into a saint. This man a saint was not

Interesting topic, lacked direction

[Calicodreamin · 5/10 · 8 January 2020]

While this was an interesting documentary, it lacked a sense of direction. The section about the killing of Sam Cooke took all of 13 min of the documentary. The rest focused his career as a musician and his connections to leaders of the civil rights movement. The doc either needed to be longer or to have a better focus on what story it wants to tell.

Watch it - But forget the nonsense

[Serpico1818 · 5/10 · 7 March 2020]

Sam Cooke is like a God to me. I believe that he had without question, the most beautiful voice in the history of music. I would say that except for Elvis Presley - he is the greatest singer that has ever walked the face of the earth. All of this is to say - although I would watch anything that had to do with Cooke - in some ways, I found this documentary absolutely disgusting. To me, the people that made this documentary basically exploited Cooke and his music so that they could promote an absolutely ridiculous conspiracy theory about how Cooke may have been assassinated. Although I would consider myself liberal, I can't stand the whole PC/Woke nonsense that has become common amongst the left. And this documentary is a shining example of that kind of ideology. There is literally no evidence whatsoever that supports this idiotic idea that Cooke was assassinated. What the makers of this documentary did is absolutely reprehensible. It reminds me of "psychics"; who tarnish the memories of people's loved ones for their own benefit. All in all - I would say; sure, you could watch this documentary. But just know that there's is going to be a ton that you'll probably be annoyed with.