Burnett’s directorial debut centres on Stan (Henry G. Sanders), a south-central Los Angeles slaughterhouse worker who is looking to provide for his family. However, Stan’s occupation is a grisly business and the stench of decay that surrounds him is reflected in the brutal disparities that inform contemporary African American life. As Stan becomes increasingly alienated from his family and wider society, he begins to question his existence.

Burnett’s 1977 opus is the product of a genuine auteur: he wrote, directed, produced, shot, and edited Killer of Sheep as his UCLA thesis film. The U.S. Library of Congress selected the film as one of the first fifty films on the National Film Registry in 1990, and the National Society of Film Critics selected it as one of the "100 Essential Films" of all time in 2002.

This 4K restoration from Kino Lorber restores the original soundtrack in its entirety, including the original closing song, Dinah Washington's era-defining performance of "Unforgettable”.