Willie Dynamite (1974)

Director: Gilbert Moses

Notable Cast: Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, Norma Donaldson, Roger Robinson, Albert Hall, George Murdock

“I’m declaring war on you. You dig it? I’m gonna make you number one minus one…which equals zero.”

The blaxploitation genre is one that I have not generally explored before. Outside of the some of the mainstream entries like Shaft or the various Pam Grier action romps, it’s a genre that I don’t often find myself digging into. Certainly though, like most genres that arrive in bursts, it has its own set of formulas, tropes, and style that can be picked up fairly easily. This is what makes Willie Dynamite such a fascinating film. Where the film starts firmly within the classic blaxploitation structures and style, it starts to play on the expectations in some surprising ways that adds a lot of depth and quality to the entire thing. If it wasn’t for this latest Arrow Video release, I’m not sure I would have ever seen this film and quite frankly, it’s definitely a gem that I did not expect to uncover.

Sheba, Baby (1975)

Director: William Girdler
Notable Cast: Pam Grier, Austin Stoker, D’Urville Martin, Rudy Challenger, Dick Merrifield, Christopher Joy, Charles Kissinger

As I mentioned in some previous reviews, 2016 is the year that I start to explore some of the genres that I haven’t explored in more expansive ways. For an example, I’ve never been the expert in blaxploitation here at the site, but the cult appeal of this robust genre has always interested me. Luckily, Arrow Video just released a very slick new version of the Pam Grier film Sheba, Baby and considering my new resolution for the year it seemed like a good match. Well, perhaps it's not so great as Sheba, Baby seems to be a fairly awkward film overall. The release is great, the high definition transfer looks phenomenal and the special features are impressive for collectors of the genre, but the film itself leaves a lot to be desired.

Devil's Express (1976)

DEVIL'S EXPRESS

Aka "Gang Wars"

“Devil’s Express” is one of those unique trashy 70s films that’s a weird amalgamation of genres – 1 part Martial Arts, 1 Part Horror and 1 part Blaxploitation. All this makes for a film that doesn’t quite gel for coherency but one can’t deny it is truly unique and one hell-of-a good time despite-the-fact it’s complete garbage all around.

We open with a group of monks over in China committing suicide after burying what looks like a coffin in a cave. Fast forward to modern day 1976 and we are introduced to two martial artists that travel to Hong Kong to complete their training. Once over there they discover an amulet hidden in a cave and jack it for themselves. This awakens a centuries old demon that hitches a ride in a unsuspecting victim and lands in the U.S., where it takes refuge in the subway system and seemingly randomly starts mutilating people Once the best friend of our afro-ed lead star (played by, I shit you not, an ‘actor’ named Warhawk Tanzania) gets nixed, Tanzania heads into the subway all dolled up in his yellow satin, bell bottomed jump suit to take the beast on.

For a martial arts flick, what surprised me is that the fight sequences were terribly choreographed, to the point of unintentional laughter and despite our lead’s kick ass name, he is completely wooden as our ‘hero’, annoying the audience instead of having them root for him. The plot, which jumps all over the place from Hong Kong, to the subways of the Big Apple, to some distressing cops trying to solve the case which they blame on ‘gang wars’, is also full of inconsistences. For one the devil-like-creature takes over a human body to sneak over to America on a boat but later on it demonstrates the ability to teleport and even shape-shift into humans. Tell me again why it had to possess a body? Then again I’m probably looking for too much logic in a film that is a martial arts/horror/Blaxploitation hybrid where there obviously is none.

“Devil’s Express” was retitled by some distributors as “Gang Wars” in order to cash-in on the gang fight film genre kick started by “The Warriors”. “The Warriors” it ain’t but for it is a must see for fans of 70s oddities in how entertaining a film can be by mish-mashing film genres together into an incoherent mess. It is the only “Chinese demon travels to the subways of New York to face off against a black fighter and inadvertently causing a inter-racial gang war” film I can think of offhand. Think along the lines of “Miami Connection”, terrible but insanely entertaining despite itself. Code Red spent years trying to find a 35mm print of this ‘lost’ film and they succeeded and released a high quality DVD for fans of 70s trash to enjoy.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Hell Up in Harlem (1973)

HELL UP IN HARLEM

Aka "Black Caesar's Sweet Revenge"

Even before the "Black Caesar" reel spun to an end after it's first theatrical showing, American International Pictures new they had a huge moneymaker and demanded a sequel. Writer/director Larry Cohen was more than happy to obliged but only one problem kept his sequel from reaching the Godley Blaxploitation stature of the original.... it was AIP wanted the sequel yesterday and the mega rushed production rears its ugly head throughout the entire running time of this quickly made, but still enjoyable sequel to the monumental Blaxploitation classic "Black Caesar."

The plot picks up right after the first film ended with our title character (Fred Williamson returning) dying in the ruins of his childhood home, clutching the ledgers that contained evidence of every corrupt political and influential individuals in New York. His dad comes to his rescue, saving his son and soon it's daddy and son hitting the streets take sweet revenge on all the politicians that put a hit to have our Harlem godfather killed.

The Black Caesar is back... and cool as ever

The first major problem with this sequel is that it was made so quickly after the first film that Fred Williamson was already busy with another film obligation. Instead of waiting till he was done, Cohen was forced to start shooting the film without his main star and thus a stand-ins had to be used in many shots. Cohen does his best to use clever editing techniques and camera angles to try to hid the fact the actor wasn't there for the entire shoot but it still comes off rather choppy and obvious, taking me out of the picture momentarily.

Williamson is so badass he can even sport a skin tight diving bikini with straight face

The second problem is Cohen's plot seems condensed to fit into an standard running time. There's enough material here to drag out the engaging story of our black godfather into two more films but apparently AIP didn't feel so Cohen's script moves along too fast, with too many subplots for audiences to keep up.  By the time the ending comes around I just felt hallow due to all the subplots not being resolved properly in the amount of time allotted.

Black Caesar about to take some sweet revenge

Considering all the challenges and brick walls Cohen faced with making this sequel, he still did a credible job and surprisingly, for the most part, makes the film mostly work despite all the flaws caused by its rushed production. Williamson is likeable as ever in his cool yet dark antihero role and I dug the expanded role of his father (Julius Harris, doing a wonderful job). The James Brown-less music is also commendable making this flawed sequel still a must see for fans of the original.

Bonus Praise: The film was original made as "Black Caesar's Sweet Revenge" but the producers demanded a title change as this was released so close to the first film that they were afraid people would mistake this sequel as the first film. I don't quite understand this as both "Shaft" and "Slaughter" had similarly titled sequels with "Shaft's Big Score" and "Slaughter's Big Rip-off". However, despite the title change, I have to say "Hell Up in Harlem" is a badass title. If one must change a film's title, make sure it's badass like "Hell Up in Harlem."

 Written By Eric Reifschneider

Black Caesar (1973)

BLACK CAESAR

The Blaxploitation subgenre is a vast field of all sorts of varying styles. Some are made to be taken seriously, some made to be laughed at and others just made to have dumb fun. For this I love the genre as it is just a great amalgamation of different styles depending on the mindset of the directors and stars. Out of this genre, one film is mightier than the rest and "Black Caesar " is its name and in my house Caesar sits high in his thrown of gold  even above such popular genre namesakes as "Shaft"  and "Cleopatra Jones".

The film opens in the 1950's with a poor black boy doing money collecting for a corrupt cop. Blamed for stealing, the cop severely beats the boy and that sets forward the boys goal of eventually running the Harlem underground. Years later in 1972, the boy has grown into the intimidating Fred Williamson, and with his iron fist takes control of the city by stealing valuable ledgers containing names of corrupt predominate figures in the city. This of course pisses a lot of powerful individuals off and it's not long before William's life is under the gun.

He smiles... right before he kills you!

I've always been a fan of Fred Williamson but he usually plays the same, arrogant but loveable cornball black figure. Director Larry Cohen actually coaxes a great performance out of the ex-pro football player making the actor go down dark territories that he would never go again. Williamson is able to emote an array of emotions, from fear, to anger, to love... something I never thought the actor could ever do! It's a shame that Williamson wouldn't revisit more complex characters as this in future outings in the genre.

 The definition of cool... back in 1972 at least

Cohen's direction and writing and tops making this a Blaxploitation film to be reckoned with. The villains are downright evil and Williamson's character is both engrossing and engaging. The audience gets sucked into his world to see how deep in the rabbit hole he will go and if will emerge alive. Cohen's dark style pulls no punches when it comes to violence, including a powerful scene where Williamson beats a corrupt cop to death with a shine-box after the cop uses it to humiliate Williamson. Great stuff!

"Shine this mother fucker!"

Black Caesar is a character you don't fuck will as he will hunt down, bullet wound and all, to kill any traitoring mother fucker. The engaging character mixed with Williamson's powerful performance and Cohen's dark writing and gritty directing makes this the best Blaxploitation film I've ever seen. James Brown's funky soundtrack only makes it that more great! Hell there are many scenes that would influence later crime classics such as "Scarface" and "Goodfellas" so crime fans shouldn't write off "Black Caesar" as 'just another Blaxploitation film'. The film of course was a success and was quickly followed by a sequel, "Hell Up in Harlem".

 Written By Eric Reifschneider

TNT Jackson (1974) - 2/5

A Filipino made Blaxploition martial arts film that takes place in Hong Kong... how the hell did they pull off that weird amalgamation? Well "pull off" wouldn't be the the proper term but at least it's somewhat watchable... to an extent I guess.

TNT Jackson arrives in Hong Kong to find her missing brother only to get entangled in some heroin runners and undercover cops. Lots of fighting is the result.

Our title character is portrayed former Playboy playmate Jeannie Bell and it's obvious she has no martial arts background as her fighting is clumsy at best. She also lacks charisma and is a poor copycat and much more interesting characters portrayed by Pam Grier. What she lacks in on screen grace, filmmakers try to make up with in titillating nudity as we even get to see her fight four guys in a dark room topless only clad in panties (a scene that the director would later use in his film "Firecracker").

Filipino exploitation B-movie director Cirio H. Santiago has always been shoddy at best but TNT Jackson, an early film in his career, is far more thoroughly directed than his normal effort. Still his fighting sequences are all poorly staged, some even containing sound effects of hits that don't even connect. He also likes to use speed ups to make hits/kicks/throws look faster. Hell even utilizes the old Roger Corman trick of removing frames in order for the fights look faster and more brutal.

This shoddy effort fails as either a Blaxploitation or martial arts film thanks to poorly choreographed fights and a main star that lacks presence thanks to stiff acting. Still, for fans of trashy entertainment, it's worth a look for some unintentional laughs and nudity otherwise people are better off looking up Santiago's 1980 martial arts effort "Firecracker" which stars a women with some actual martial arts training.

The film was in public domain hell as many DVDs exist with poor VHS transfers. Shout Factory released a beautiful anamorphic widescreen transfer in triple feature alongside "Firecracker" and "Too Hot Too Handle", two other Roger Corman distributed exploitation 'classics.'

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Three the Hard Way - 3/5

No, this is not a porno about a three way. The title is referring to three Blaxploitation heroes: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and... cough cough... Jim Kelly. Hell that's enough stars for three Blaxploitation films! Well two good ones and... errrmmm... a Jim Kelly one. Well does having three Blaxploitation heavy weights... errmm.... two and Jim Kelly, mean this will have three times the entertainment value? Not quite but it's a hell-of-an entertaining Blaxploitation piece of cheese that's for sure.

Well we have some rich white bigots (typical of these genre films) who have an evil scheme up there sleeves... they want to release a disease into the water systems of three major cities that will only kill off the black population. Now it's up to three old friends (Brown, Williamson and... errrm... Kelly) to use their wits, firepower and biceps to crush these white bigots and save Brown's girl.

Director Gordon Parks Jr. broke out into the Blaxploitation genre with the hit "Super Fly" and he nails another home runner with "Three the Hard Way." He loads the film up with some great jive dialogue and kick ass senseless action scenes. In other words he makes this loads of fun. The most bizarre yet amusing sequences involves three dominatrixs hired by our three heroes to get a goon to talk and in turn end up killing him with a heart attack. God I loved that!

The cast is the main attraction here as one would expect. Jim Brown and Fred Williamson play their typical blaxploitation hero types: Brown as the strong, silent type and Williamson as the mouthy, cocky smartass. Even Jim Kelly is far more stomachable than in his other outings in the genre, most notably the bloated "Black Belt Jones" and it's despicable sequel "Hot Potato". The acting is below par but no-one ever accused these guys for being good actors.

The plot is definitely out there.... I mean rich white bigots trying to kill off the world's population of blacks with a disease is pretty controversial and would never fly in today's cinema. This is the early seventies and it's all in good Blaxploitation fun so don't take the plot to heart.

The cast is a Blaxploitation fans dream come true and it's a damn shame Brown and Williamson didn't do very many movies together (Forget about Kelly). Sure the acting can be deplorable at times but these are cult, genre films and in this case the bad acting adds to the charm of the film. This may not be Blaxploitation at its most respectable but it sure is one of the most entertaining. You can't tell me a film with martial arts, gun play, tough guy posturing, afros, a comic book tone and a plague killing plot can't be somewhat fun. For mindless entertainment "Three the Hard Way" is worth the price of admission.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Slaughter's Big Rip-off - 3/5

I always felt sorry for Slaughter as he gets a "Big Rip-off" in his sequel title as opposed to Shaft who gets a "Big Score". What gives.... Shaft gets a piece of ass and Slaughter gets pulled a fast one on? In my humble opinion Slaughter is more badass than Shaft and if anyone deserves a great score, it's fuckin' Slaughter but don't fret as he does get plenty of ass, both black and white, in this entertaining follow-up to 1972 Blaxploitation hit "Slaughter."

"Slaughter's Big Rip-off" opens with a sequence one would least expect for this sequel open with... with Slaughter in cowboy drag in a horse race. Really... what the fuck? Where is my badass title sequence? Oh well but soon after a hitman flying an airplane attempts a hit on Slaughter who in turn misses and kills a few of Slaughter's friends instead. He heads out for vengeance but like the original, pisses off some law enforcement along the way and they give him make a deal to get them a ledger of names of corrupt police and political figures (hmmm... sounds like "Black Caesar" to me) in turn for Slaughter not going to prison. Plenty of bullets break the skin of mafia goons as a result.

Jim Brown seems much more comfortable in the title role this second time around as he makes the character even more badass. We get more hand to hand combat from the character and even some badass one liners (my favorite is "how would you like to pick your teeth out of your lips). He also seems to get much more ass in this film making him a blaxploitation rival for James Bond. In all the character of Slaughter is even more baddass in this sequel minus the awkward opening with him in western garb.

In an awkward casting moment the filmmakers hired Ed McMahon for the lead villain. For you youngins out there he was the sidekick for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" who mummered the famous line "Heerrree's Johnny" long before the likes of Jack Nicolson. I actually never knew Ed McMahon was an actual actor before his TV stints and actually he isn't terrible but I did have a hard time shacking his "Tonight Show" motif from my mind.

The plot however is rather haphazardly constructed making the film drag at some moments between the entertaining action sequences. Director Gordon Douglas does what he can with the script but the film sadly misses original director Jack Starrett who wonderfully directed the action sequences to wrap around its plot issues. Starrett was unavailable to direct as he hightailed it to Warner Brothers to make his film "Cleopatra Jones" and in turn pissing off AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff who responded with his own woman Blaxploitation revenge effort "Coffy" which itself is a completely different story.

The two things that annoy me the most is first how our evil hitman attempts to kill Slaughter. He makes Slaughter's main squeeze drive him off a cliff and then leaves within a few minutes before making sure Slaughter is truly dead. If I learned anything from "Under Seige 2" it's that "assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups" and this James Bond villain mistake annoyed the shit out of me. Second is how all newer versions of the film are emasculated of James Brown's wonderful original score. Damn I hate when soundtracks and score rights deteriorate for whatever reason over the years resulting with some films, like "Slaughter's Big Rip-off", having a replacement score haphazardly spliced in. Grr...

"Slaughter's Big Rip-off" isn't as good as the original due to a poorly constructed plot and the lack of original director Jack Starrett but Jim Brown seems more comfortable in the role making Slaughter even more badass in the long run. The film is left open for another sequel but sadly a third film to round out a trilogy never emerged.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Slaughter (1972) - 3.5/5

Unlike 80s hair metal "legend" Mark Slaughter, this Slaughter lives up to his name as Jim Brown sure knocks some dicks in the dirt in this high octane, James Bond influenced Blaxploitation effort.

Slaughter, an ex Green Beret, is POed as some assholes blew up his daddy's car with his daddy in it. He heads out for vengeance and guns down a few of the dickheads at a small airport but not without pissing off some federal agents who spent months tracking these drug dealers down. In order not to get thrown into prison, Slaughter agrees to go to South America to take the drug cartel down while at the same time satisfying his hunger for vengeance.

Ex-pro football player Jim Brown first got some acting chops in tough guy films like "The Dirty Dozen" before branching out and becoming a Blaxploitation icon. Does this mean he's a good actor? Hell no but he, much like the other ex-pro football player turned actor Fred Williamson, fit these roles perfectly making for some major touch guy icons as well as providing interesting film heroes for the black community.

Unlike Fred Williamson whose characters were always cocky and mouthy, Jim Brown's were always quieter, more repressed without losing the tough-as-nails edge. Slaughter is exactly this... mostly quiet but a tough mother-fucker who without flinching will shoot a guy in the back or chase them down with a car. Seriously this guy is one mean dude! And he seems like such a nice guy on the outside...

The filmmakers inject a lot of James Bond influences into the picture to with Slaughter basically acting as a secret agent. He goes to high rolling casinos attired in a tux, wins over villain's woman by bedding them, and most importantly can handle himself when it comes to action scenes, including but not limited to hand-to-hand combat and high speed chases.

The directing for the most part is solid with Jack Starrett knowing how to handle action scenes with a sure hand (he proved that again with "Race with the Devil). The only thing I questioned was his use of some odd squished picture ratios in his action scenes. I'm sure it was an attempt to be stylistic but it just takes you out of the movie for a moment making some think there DVD disc might be defective.

Is "Slaughter" a terrific film to be remembered for all the ages? Well no but it does what it intends to do.. provide audiences with an action packed Blaxploitation vehicle for Jim Brown with a heaping dose of sheer awesomeness. I enjoyed "Slaughter" immensely and am highly looking forward to watching its sequel "Slaughter's Big Rip-off".

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Truck Turner - 3.5/5

Isaac Hayes wasn't content winning Oscars for being behind the scenes with writing and performing amazing Blaxploitation film soundtracks. He wanted to spread his wings and become a full fledged Blaxploitation star and Hollywood gave him a chance as they cast him as the title character in "Truck Turner." Did he have what it took to become a legend in the genre?

Well "Mac" Truck Turner is an ex-pro football player turned bounty hunter it's not an easy way to make a living. Day in and day out he and his partner risk their lives just to bring home ends meet. It even gets in the way of their love lives as Turner even forgets to pick up his main squeeze the day she gets released from prison and bribes her love back with a six pack of buds. The shit really hits the fan when they are forced to kill a pimp they were paid to take in and his women hires out the strongest gang leaders in L.A. to bring her the head of Truck Turner. Sounds like it's going to be a white hot night of hate to me.

Isaac Hayes proves he had the balls and charisma to pull off a likeable Blaxploitation lead and doesn't do half bad in the acting department. His wonderful deep singing voice does make it a little hard to understand some of his dialogue but his voice mixed with some thigh slapping hilarious one liners is fantastic ("either shit or get off the pot" is my personal favorite line). Hell I would even say he matches the screen presence of other Blaxploitation legends such as Richard Roundtree and Fred Williamson.

The highlights of the rest of the cast includes Yaphet Kotto as one of the mob bosses out to shoot off Turner's ass. Yaphet is such a bad ass villain that he should have been cast as a James Bond nemesis (whoops, my bad... he was). His character is so menacing that he even kills Turner's cat and hangs it to scare the living shit out of his girlfriend. The cardinal sin of this film however is that they don't utilize Yaphet enough as character has far too small of a part but still manages to make a nice adversary for Turner especially during a violent hospital shoot out.

The star that outshines Yaphet has to go to actress Nichelle Nichols. I will admit that I am a closet "Star Trek" fan (God forbid you might call me a 'trekkie') so I had a hell of a time seeing her spout off vulgar language like "...they better get used to selling their pussy in Iceland because if they show their faces here again I'm going to slit their fucking throats!" Uhura, do you kiss your captain with that mouth?

Jonathan Kaplan handles the film well and gives us some pulse pounding action scenes brimming with violence that the subgenre has become known for. Suspenseful car chases: check. Shootouts with pimps and naked hookers wielding knives: check. Bloody shootouts in hospitals that apparently have no security: check. Random violence against a housecat: check. Oh yeah, Kaplan knows how to make an entertaining Blaxploitation film.

So in answer to the question I ended my first paragraph with I would have to say YES as Isaac Hayes owns the role of Truck Turner. It's a damn shame the film wasn't a bigger hit in theaters as I would have loved to see Hayes in more films of this nature or even a sequel. Shaft, Slaughter, and Black Caesar all got sequels but not Truck Turner.... BLASPHEMY! In my humble opinion "Truck Turner" is one of the most entertaining films the notorious Blaxploitation genre has to offer so pick it up already!

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Foxy Brown - 3.5/5

After the success of "Coffy" American International Pictures demanded another Pam Grier Blaxploitation vehicle as soon as possible and they employed writer/director Jack Hill with the nearly impossible task to release a quality follow-up within a year. Well he proves that lightning can strike twice as "Foxy Brown" is almost as good as his first Pam Grier match-up "Coffy" in every category making another quaint essential Blaxploitation classic

Foxy Brown is pissed... would you expect else? Her undercover cop boyfriend gets gun downed by the drug cartel he was undercover in but what makes it worse is that her low life brother ratted his ass out. She puffs out her enormous fro, straps on a pistol, and slips into the tightest, funkiest outfits of the decade to go undercover as a call girl to crumble the drug empire in a mass of explosions and gunshots.

Jack Hill makes "Foxy Brown" as graphically violent as his first entry into the genre and he happens to deliver a solid pulp dime store revenge story to wrap around grisly violence. Damn Foxy is hardcore! She covers a goon in gasoline and sets his ass on fire, dismembers a goon with an airplane propeller and even cuts off a guys dick and hand delivers it to his lover pickled in a jar. DAMN GIRL!

Pam Grier seems more comfortable in the genre now and her performance is a step above "Coffy". Her Foxy Brown character, thanks to her better acting is more of a strong willed, take charge women capable to carry out heinous acts of violence all in the good name of revenge. Did I forget to mention that Pam Grier has a body to die for? Don't believe me? Then pop in "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown" and you will have enough of her luscious skin to be stored in your fantasy banks for years to come!

Like all Blaxploitation films it is highly dated with its funky fashions and style but that's what makes these 70s Blaxploiation films so much damn fun! The plot is simple enough with the common thread of "revenge" to still resonate with today's audiences. I've actually run into people who were offended by the aspect that this film, along with "Coffy", had all the villains be high class, rich "white" people. No shit Sherlock! This is a 70s Blaxploitation film! It was another time with different viewpoints and I will happily watch such characters as Foxy Brown blow the living shit out of rich white criminal bigots who stomp on anyone in their path for wealth.

I can't say I liked "Foxy Brown" as much as "Coffy" but it's damn close and it's a wonderful follow-up by director Jack Hill who knows the exact ingredients these genre films need in order to be successful. For a great time go raid your trunk in the attic or the local salvation army to get decked out in polyester, throw on a James Brown album while making popcorn for a double feature of "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown". You'll be glad you did!

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Black Shampoo - 1.5/5

The poster artwork for this film has our afro bearing hero sporting a pistol in one hand and the other grasping a hair dryer all while having submissive beauties succulently grapple his legs. It's an amazing piece of art and for that alone it made this highly exploitative blaxploitation flick worth the five dollar purchase but I again was suckered by promising artwork and delivered a plateful overcooked chicken.

Jonathan is the extreme alfa male as he runs a gigolo ring out of his hair salon. Let's just say he's great at gelling up both sets of hair on women, both the attic and basement. Even though he's getting all the ass he could ever want, he still falls for his new receptionist who has an ass to die for... or at least to take the mob on for. She apparently used to be the main squeeze for a mafia boss and now her former boss wants her back but Jonathan won't have it. She escapes and our Black Shampoo hero straps on a chainsaw for vengeance. Trust me it sounds more entertaining that it is.

Out of all the blaxploitation films I have had the pleasure to witness, "Black Shampoo" is definitely one of the more exploitative entries when it comes to onscreen nudity and bloody violence. Our title hero gets so much ass I actually lost count. Exploitation director Greydon Clark actually has the film come to a complete standstill in order to have the camera linger on all tits and booty. Now I'm not against the female form but in this film it just comes across as cheap entertainment like Clark is trying to make up for the films other MARGINAL shortcomings by loading up on all the female flesh he can. We even get a sequence where our hero makes a house call only to get teenagers stripping around him before their mother comes out to give him a lap dance. What the fuck? This scene absolutely has no relevance to the rest of the so called "plot" and makes the film seem more like a cheap porno as opposed to a blaxploitation film.

I have a lot of problems with Greydon Clark's filmmaking as it looks cheap and sloppy. Now I understand this is a low budget drive-in picture but Clark doesn't even seem to be trying. I'm talking about bad zooms, poor pans and sloppy scene transitions (which he tries to cover with the on screen image going negative). The acting is despicable and the writing matches it. I haven't seen a film with so many pointless filler scenes in a long time. What's up with the barbecue sequence other than to pad the run time? Also if you like seeing people drive around then get ready for a shit ton of these long, boring scenes.

Sure "Black Shampoo" is high on 'exploitation' but it is low on actual film quality. I'm all for exploitation films but I prefer a little polish and good filmmaking to go along with those lovable ingredients. "Black Shampoo" just lacks good directing, good writing and good acting making this for a rather trying film experience and definitely one of the worst Blaxploitation films I have ever seen. If all you consider for a 'good' movie is nudity and violence then by all means give "Black Shampoo" a shot. The silly concept and promising poster artwork make this seem a lot more entertaining than it is.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Coffy - 3.5/5

How do you like your coffee? If you prefer it tan and sweet then you're going into the wrong movie as you're going to get a mouthful of hot black and bitter fluid with "Coffy", one of the quaint essential blaxploitation films of the early 70s that catapulted Pam Grier into super-stardom.

Coffy is mad, as in royally pissed off at all the druglords in the L.A. area. You see drugs killed her brother and put her sister in the hospital so she puts her high profile career as an assistant surgeon at risk to beat the streets at night, waging her wonderful ass in front of high profile drug lords only to blow their asses away. She even pulls a "Yojimbo" by pitting powerful druglords against one another before getting her ultimate revenge on her boyfriend that happens to be a corrupt political figure up for senator.

Pam Grier, shall I say, wasn't hired for her wonderful acting ability. In some scenes she is downright awful and it's obvious she was hired for other "assets". Her poor acting on the bright side actually adds to the likability of the film and it's easily to see why she became such a cult icon of the blaxploitation genre. Sexy and absolutely deadly as she won't hesitate to drop her pants and not long after splatter your brains against the wall.

Director Jack Hill was new to the Blaxploitation genre and being white didn't know if he could make a good one as he wasn't familiar with the culture. Boy oh boy did he prove everyone wrong as he nailed it! Not only does he provide a likable black female lead but he knows what it takes to make an exploitative revenge film work as he loads the film with extreme violence and nudity (of both the white and black race). The violence is what shocked me the most as the film opens with Coffy blowin' a guy's head off. Holy shit! She even drives a car through the front of a house to mow some guys down. Go, Coffy, go! Get those druglord bastards!

This is low budget, exploitative blaxploitation at it's best and most shameless. Sure the acting is bad and some of the dialogue is downright laughable but it has all the essential ingredients for an enjoyable blaxploitation picture. If you're looking for Shaft-like classiness then look somewhere else my friends as Coffy is no-holds bared extreme Blaxploitation entertainment.

Bonus Praise: Is that a young, thin Sid Haig I see? Why shit on a gooses ass it is! Most people know him from Rob Zombie's more recent horror films like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" but don't know him from his classic era films from the 70s and 80s like "Coffy" and "Galaxy of Terror". Seeing Sid Haig in these old cult films always brings a smile to my face.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde - 2/5

Director William Crain made a memorable stamp into the blaxploitation genre with his horror hybrid and humorously titled "Blacula" which was unleashed into theaters in 1972. For reasons unknown he passed on directing the sequel "Scream, Blacula, Scream" but must have felt he hadn't insulted enough classic movie monsters so four years later he returned to blaxploitate another classic movie monster with "Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde." This resulted in one of the most humorous trailers I have ever witnessed which I highly recommend everyone to see it by clicking here. Does the film live up to its trailer? Well let's consume some alcohol to prepare for this bad boy and see.

Dr. Henry Pride is a successful doctor experimenting with an serum that is supposed to heal damaged liver cells. You see he used to live with his mother in a bordello and she died of liver problems caused by drinking heavily. While volunteering his free time at the clinic in a dilapidated portion of L.A., Henry Pride decides to test the serum on himself which transforms him into a hulking white skinned monster that ravages L.A. killing hookers and pimps with his karate chops. Will a hooker that has love for him be able to stop his rampage?

Unlike the trailer suggests (with such aw-inspiring lines as "Don't give him no sass or he'll kick your ass") this film is actually played rather seriously adding to the unintentional hilarity. It's hard to believe star Bernie Casey didn't burst out into laughter with such a silly concept. Perhaps the silliest aspect is actually the raciest approach to how he turns "white" when he becomes a monster (in an interesting bit of trivia the beast was created by future make up master Stan Winston). Subtle, Crain... real subtle.

The film has the typical drive in look of the time... as in really cheap. Don't look for dynamic camera angles from director Crain or marvelous cinematography as none of that is present. Then again we are watching a blaxploitation take on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" so you can't expect much from a good filmmaking standpoint.

Yes there was unintentional hilarity but sadly, yet expectably, "Dr. Black Mr. Hyde" didn't live up to the amazing entertainment value the trailer promised. It's not even as good as Crain's "Blacula" but fans of these silly horror hybrid blaxploitation films will definitely want to hunt this down.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Black Godfather, The - 1.5/5

With the popularity of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" in the early 70's it would only be a matter of time before a Blaxploitation imitation of those epics oozed its way into the grindhouse cinemas. They made "Blacula", "Blackenstein" and "Dr. Black Mr. Hyde" so "The Black Godfather" seems like it's a step in the right direction as now the genre is cloning academy award winning films opposed to horror B-movies. Sadly the combination of such grand films and the interesting Blaxploitation genre didn't come out near as promising or entertaining as one might expect and even the Blaxploitation horror knock-offs are far better than this.

Our film opens up with two goons trying to hold up a place and they both end up shot, one dying and the other being taken in by the "Black Godfather" who in turn saves his life. Our "Black Godfather" takes J. J. (NFL star Rod Perry) under his wing and soon J.J. becomes the black godfather himself and decides to clean up his hood from drugs and starts a personal war against a rival white gang.

The perplexing aspect of the plot is that J.J.'s gang murders and robs which seems to be kosher but drugs pushes their ethical line over the edge. Murdering in cold blood is so much better than selling crack to a teenager...sheesh. That just makes no sense and the thought of it is quite laugh inducing.

The acting is as expected for a low budget Blaxploiation effort but the filmmaking is quite poor. The direction is shoddy, the sound is deplorable, and the editing is sloppy. I even saw the shadows of the camera crew a few times during driving sequences. The score is just dreadful and makes a blood drop from your ear lob after a half hour of having it stab into your eardrum.

With a title like "The Black Godfather" this should have been a monumental effort in the Blaxploitation subgenre. I mean your referencing one of the best films ever made! Thanks to poor filmmaking all around it doesn't live up to the concept and just comes out being another poorly made Blaxploitation effort . It may not be the worst the genre has to offer, but there are many many many more better examples and I only recommend this for viewing for the most hard-core fans.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Cotton Comes To Harlem - 3.5/5

When I first heard of Cotton Comes to Harlem, I originally got the inclination that the film was bout a guy named Cotton that comes to Harlem. Far be it from me to actually expect an actual bail of cotton is what the title is referring to! This is just of a taste of a interestingly little, albeit forgotten Blaxploitation film.

Our film opens with two cops keeping an eye on a shady religious figure, who seems to be working up a large following. Of course he is getting people to donate their hard earned money for him to make a trek back to Africa. He of course intends on stealing the money, so he hides the dough in a bail of cotton and stages a robbery. The cops know what he's up to but other people get wind and the bail of cotton it keeps getting stolen and disappearing until the cops don't know where to look or who to trust anymore.

I like how our two cop characters are more realistic compared to other films in the blaxploitation genre. Their less focused on being "cool" and come across tough by just being more normal, hard working detectives. This is no doubt one of the reasons the film isn't as popular as audiences enjoy the over-the-top coolness of such kats as Shaft and Superfly. Though director Ossie Davis keeps our cops normal (other than their character names), he does add some nice comedy touches to the film. An example is during a car chase, we have a pick pocket steal a woman's purse, run out into the street only to be hit by the car the cops are chasing. Sequences like this brought a smile to my face.

If I had to complain about one aspect of the film it has to be the third act and the film slows down to an almost grinding halt. The film's climax takes place in a theater the film starts focusing on the woman dancing for what seems to be 10 minutes. An attractive women she was but holy hell it was it completely pointless! The rest of the film just meanders away and never truly recovers.

Overall though this was an entertaining Blaxploitation film but fans will no doubt would rather see super cool kats like Shaft as opposed to our cops Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson (cool nicknames I do have to admit). I say give it shot. The humor is good but not obtrusive and the characters are interesting (interesting enough to inspire two rarely seen sequels). I recommend the film if one can get through the humdrum final act.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Black Samson - 2.5/5

Another title this film could go by is Black Pusser. Why that odd yet interesting nasty name? Well because Black Samson is nothing more than a blaxploitation version of Walking Tall with the character Black Samson filling in for Joe Don Baker's Buford Pusser. Despite being completely unoriginal, this "rip-off" didn't come out half bad.

Here we have Rockne Tarkington as our title character. Black Samson is a night club owner (who owns a lion no less!) with a set of morals. He does is best to keep his neighborhood free of drugs and crime. Samson gets his work cut out for him with a muscle bound mob member named Napa tries to muscle in on his turf. Along the way he finds love. Not much to the plot but sometimes we need films like this. Sometimes no-brain films with some good heroes, good villains, and simple plot is just what the doctor ordered and I must have been in the mood for this tasty medicine.

The character Black Samson is actually rather atypical for the blaxploitation genre. Most of the heroes were either over-the-top (any Fred Williamson character) or super hands-off cool (Richard Roundtree's Shaft). Samson just seems like an average good guy with a good head on his shoulders and a nice set of ethics. Perhaps this is why the film wasn't as popular with audiences as the character just wasn't eccentric or cool enough. Rockne Tarkington plays the character well but sadly his career never really seemed to take off. To be honest I can only think of a small role he had in The Ice Pirates off the top of my head. The character of Samson however gets overshadows by the villain played by genre great William Smith. Not the pop rap/actor Will Smith, this is the body builder William Smith and this guy could eat Will Smith for breakfast. This guy is so fucking tough that he played Conan's father in Conan the Barbarian. That's how badass he is as Conan himself came from his loins! Some blaxploitation films William Smith played the villain in underused his psychotic talent. Not in Black Samson. This guy is completely nuts! At one point he tries to drown his girlfriend. When he sends his girlfriend undercover into the night club and she falls for Black Samson, he even has the balls to throw her out of a moving car! Nothing makes for a entertaining movie more than having a great villain and this film succeeds on that level.

Director Charles Bail (Super Fly) does an adequate job with the film but I wish he injected more style into his camera work. The film just has too much of a point-shoot look for my taste. Other than that the film has an interesting atypical hero, a major badass villain, and a familiar easy to follow plot. When you're not in the thinking mood, pop in Black Samson, turn your brain off and have a relaxing good time.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Boss Nig*** - 2.5/5

Cult blaxploitation star Fred "The Hammer" Williamson chose the attention grabbing title Boss "N word" (censored for our website) in order to cause some controversy and make his little western a hit. It worked back in 1975 but sadly as time marched on the title actually ended up hurting the film. It fell into obscurity and was only known by cult film fanatics due to its reputation by name but the film was forgotten by main stream audiences as film distribution companies wouldn't touch the film due to its controversial title. I knew of the film as Fred Williamson is one of my all time favorite cult film stars as he has had starring performances in many of my favorite Italian genre films (most notably The Inglorious Bastards). Ironically one day I find the film in the $5 bin at K-mart with its shortened censored title Boss on the DVD cover art. Some fans of the film were upset that VCI Entertainment chose to release it with the censored title on the box art but I would have done the same. Having the censored title "Boss" allows the film to be sold at many outlet stores that otherwise wouldn't touch it. Being a cult fan I knew what film "Boss" really was and quickly snagged it up as I have been drooling to see this controversial title for many years.

Despite having the censored title on the DVD box art, the VCI DVD has the film completely uncut with its original title on the film itself including the thigh slapping great title song. The film even opens with a letter from Fred Williamson saying he still approves of the title and song. However as the film trucked along I knew I was in for a film whose title had a much better reputation than the actual film. The film for the most part is just another blaxploitation, B-grade western. Don't get me wrong as it is still somewhat entertaining but other than its title it wouldn't be nearly as memorable.

The film opens with Fred Williamson and his comic sidekick D'Urville Martin roaming the west and coming into what they call a "white town." There is a sheriff and deputy position open so they take the jobs against the Mayor's (played by genre great R.G. Armstrong) wishes. The town is corrupt and the Mayor is controlled by the local villain (played by badass William Smith) and Smith doesn't take too kindly to Williamson pushing people around on his turf and violence ensues.

Fred Williamson is enjoyable as ever as he plays his usual, cocky yet likable self. He doesn't go too far out on a limb here as it's the typical good guy gets girl and kills bad guy routine. Williamson liked his film formula's that way and it's a shame as it made them very predictable, which this film is. Body builder William Smith was perfectly cast as the villain as he does play psychopaths very well, but sadly he seems underused and not his character is not given his full potential as a truly despicable villain. He does some pretty nasty things like trample a child beneath a horse but he still didn't come across as a really awful man like he has in other classic cult pictures.

The production values are also very slim here but then again it is a B-western. I especially didn't like the awful wardrobe for our villain William Smith. His shirts brought more laughter than anything. Williamson still looks badass as ever though. The film is also surprisingly old fashioned when it comes to violence. Despite Williamson working in violent urban action films and Italian films, he and director Jack Arnold chose to go the old more classical western violence route. I believe if this film had a little more extreme violence, like seen in spaghetti westerns, it would be a much more popular cult film.

Overall you have a B-grade western film that is entertaining enough but is also rather forgettable other than the attention grabbing title. I, like many others, am offended by the N word but people have to realize this film was made in a different era, a time when black power was at its height and heroes like Williamson and Jim Brown were needed as role models. It's more interesting as a historical film in that aspect rather than as a mere B-western.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Hot Potato - 1/5

When I think of a martial arts film the first thing I crave is a hot baked potato, with butter, sour cream and chives. Hey, don't make fun of me for that because I know I'm not the only one in the world that thinks this. How do I know? Because the makers of this martial arts monstrosity decided to call this hunk of crap "Hot Potato."

Believe it or not this is a sequel to "Black Belt Jones". Most don't know that and that is perfectly fine because obviously one can't make a connection between the two films by the title alone. I mean "Hot Potato"? Okay obviously by the title one can't take this film seriously.

My hunch was right as this film goes for the tongue-in-cheek approach. The film begins with a young women brought to a ninja camp somewhere deep in Africa where their leader calls her father and says she will be killed or unless he pulls aid. In comes 'Black Belt' Jones and two obnoxious sidekicks to rescue her.

One of the sidekicks is a slick talking guy from Chicago and the other guy named, I'm not kidding, White Rhino is a pot-bellied pig of a guy that is supposed to provide "comic" relief. Our trio rescue our kidnapped victim within the first 30 minutes and the rest of the film is spent meandering from one poorly choreographed fight to the next. The plot is actually so thin that Jim Kelly only says probably 10 lines in the whole damn film. Considering I'm not a fan of Jim Kelly I should actually consider that a blessing.

The thing that bothers me about this film is that it doesn't know if it wants to be totally goofy or just another run-of-the-mill chop socky flick. Some of the fights have Looney Tunes sound effects like winding up fists and others don't. The film is also full of fourth grade boy humor like "you just wet my shoes! You just be lucky it wasn't number 2!"

This confused film just ended up annoying the living shit out of me and I kept starring at the timer on my DVD player asking the ghost of Bruce Lee why didn't the martial arts gods take Jim Kelly instead of him. This is hands down the worst martial arts film I have ever seen (so far) and only young boys who think dick and fart jokes are funny will be amused by this crud. This shit-quel makes Black Belt Jones look like a Shaw Brothers epic.

Written By: Eric Reifschneider

Black Belt Jones - 1.5/5

Remember Jim Kelly? No not the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills the martial arts actor! If not that's okay as his career is only a footnote in both the martial arts and blaxploitation genres. He got his quick 15 minutes of fame when he starred as the afro bearing martial artist in the Bruce Lee classic "Enter the Dragon". He gained a small following because of that film and that small following gave rise to Kelly making a few god-awful martial arts/blaxploitation films.

The first of these abominations that came out of the ashes of "Enter the Dragon" was a little film called "Black Belt Jones". Warner Brothers even hired "Enter the Dragon" director Robert Clouse to helm this Jim Kelly vehicle. The result proved that Robert Clouse was a one film man as every film he directed from "Black Belt Jones" on was just awful (some in a good way though).

Warner Bros also didn't spend much time with the script as it is a complete rip off of the Bruce Lee classic Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection). Jim Kelly's martial arts school comes under attack from the local mafia. The mafia wants to buy the building and Kelly's teacher refuses. Not surprising Kelly's teacher gets himself killed and it's up to the students, led by Kelly, to take down the mafia.

I forgot about the love interest. How could I as it is the most boring, cliché love interests ever to grace a martial arts film. The daughter of the teacher shows up after his death and, not surprisingly, falls in love with our hero.

The film ends in a "climatic" martial arts showdown at a carwash. Yes, a carwash with soup suds waist deep. Having the climatic martial arts fight at a carwash I will admit is "unique", but it seemed as a desperate measure by the filmmakers to try something different and it just comes off silly.

In the realm of martial arts and blaxploitation films, Black Belt Jones comes out extremely weak. The story is unoriginal and uninteresting and so is Jim Kelly as our hero. I never really felt myself rooting for him has he just came off as a sinewgate arrogant ass. The film does entertaining enough in a B-movie vein but martial arts fans are better off searching someplace else for good martial arts thrills.

I also forgot to mention this film inspired a sequel titled Hot Potato. Yes, Hot Potato. As you can tell by that ridiculous title it's even worse than Black Belt Jones.

Written by: Eric Reifschneider