11 Films So Politically Incorrect They Would Be Banned Today

By Phil Archbold /

9. Freebie And The Bean (1974)

Named the best film of 1974 by Stanley Kubrick, you could have expected Freebie And The Bean to offer a little more than racism and homophobia, and it does €“ there€™s a good dollop of sexism in there, for good measure. Starring James Caan as all action American cop Freebie and Alan Arkin in (you guessed it) brown-face make up, playing his Mexican partner The Bean. With a title like that, you can assume that it only gets worse, and you wouldn€™t be wrong. The film€™s villain is a cross dressing hitman who the duo refer to as the €œsicko tranny€ throughout, until finally gunning him down in a woman€™s bathroom, saving the Super Bowl (which was under threat, obviously) for good honest Americans everywhere. Bigotry aside, the film is a dud. A pre-runner to the Buddy Cop films that would dominate the 80s, Richard Rush€™s film is a mishmash of car chases and low-brow gags that leaves you with a bad neck from all the head shaking. At least Arkin didn€™t harbour any ill-feeling towards his co-star, the pair returning to the screen together in 2008€™s Get Smart.