The Cool World is a 1963 feature film directed by Shirley Clarke about African-American life in the Royal Pythons, a youth gang in Harlem. In 1994, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

The plot concerns the obsession of Duke (Hampton Clanton), a 15-year-old member of the gang Royal Pythons, to get a gun from a racketeer named Priest (Carl Lee), in order to become the president of the Pythons and a big shot in Harlem. After their friend Littleman's father was forced out of his apartment, the Pythons take over the place and install Luanne, Python president Blood's girlfriend, as resident prostitute. Discovering that Blood is a heroin addict, Duke assumes leadership of the gang and Luanne becomes his girl. During an outing at Coney Island, however, Luanne vanishes, and Duke returns to Harlem alone.