Slaughter (1972) User Reviews

Get your little narrow ass outta here!

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 8 February 2009]

Jim Brown is one cool dude, even when he's making a typical 70s blaxploitation flick.

Here, he is an ex-Green Beret home from 'nam going after the mob thugs that killed his father.

First, he has to get by their secret weapon, Stella Stevens, girlfriend of #2, Rip Torn, a racist that is just seething at the thought of Stevens between the sheets with Brown. And, boy, do they steam up those sheets! That must have been a shock to 70s audiences.

Now, the thugs are not too bright as they try to run Brown down with a Mustang. Don't they know that this former fullback is one of the all time greats in NFL history? Their efforts to catch him in the casino meets with equal disaster as he runs right through them.

Of course, you know Slaughter wins in the end because there is a sequel.

One interesting aspect for the younger folks is the IBM punch card that figures prominently in the film. They probably have never seen one.

Not exactly blaxsploitation but still pretty good.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 June 2009]

Yes, the film stars Jim Brown and yes he kicks a lot of butt. However, I don't think I'd classify this as a 'blaxsploitation film'. That's because the film is mostly set in Mexico and the good guys are the government. This is definitely NOT a battle between Black and White America, but our hero, Brown, is solidly on the side of 'the Man'; i.e., the government.

The film begins with the family of former Green Beret, Brown, being killed by mobsters. As a result, he goes on a one-man mission to kill mobsters. However, this ends up causing problems because he blunders into a covert government operation and the real bad guy gets away. So, Brown agrees to go to Mexico and work with the feds to settle the score. The plot ends up being rather mindless--with Brown shooting and punching as well as mobsters killing each other off like mad. However, it's enjoyable and time-passing mindless.

This film is blessed with a very good supporting cast. The seldom recognized Don Gordon (star of countless TV shows), Cameron Mitchell, Stella Stevens and Rip Torn are all on hand to give the film some good acting, so that all the weight of the film doesn't rest on Brown just killing people! Worth watching but not life changing.

There are only three reasons to see this ...................

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 15 October 2010]

There are only three reasons to see this and they are Stella Stevens three nude scenes, two in bed with Jim Brown, and one in the shower. Other than Stella, there is little to recommend. All you get is plenty of meaningless action, car chases, and other nonsense. Cameron Mitchell is totally wasted, and Rip Torn unfortunately is forgettable as a Mafia boss. The revenge plot seems forced, and the government's involvement has something to do with computers, but is murky at best. One plus is the Todd AO photography, which produces several intriguing wide angle shots. "Slaughter" is nothing more than a weak mafia film, with Stella Stevens being the only attraction. - MERK

Ah, the kickass stoicism of Jim Brown

[scorpio-x · 6 July 2001]

It kicks off a little slow, but by the time they get to Mexico, things pick up and get pretty smokin' in the conclusion--Jim Brown's entrance to the casino is terriffic, it's got the shock value of having a dwarf thrown through your bay window. His later entrance to the bad guys' lair from the car is also classic. Jim Brown isn't a great actor, but his ass-kicking stoicism is at it's best here, as he slaps down legions of bad guys with barely a raised eyebrow. (Did you know that, aside from his football skills, Jim Brown was supposedly the greatest Jai Lai player on earth?) Stella Stevens and Rip Torn are also very good, but even higher praise goes to Billy Preston's theme song.

"You jam it straight up your ass, white man."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 16 November 2016]

After his parents are killed by the mob, a former Green Beret (Jim Brown) joins forces with "The Man" to get his revenge. An enjoyable Blaxploitation film that's not without its share of flaws. Obviously, NFL great Jim Brown's acting leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn't do well in the quieter, more emotional scenes. When he's ticked off and kicking butt, though, he's fun to watch. Cameron Mitchell is fine as a cop. Rip Torn is the villain and he spends most of the movie squinting and saying the N word. Don Gordon is amusing as a sort of comic relief sidekick. Highlight of the movie is sexy Stella Stevens, in particular her memorable nude scenes. This isn't one of my favorite Blaxploitation flicks but it's solid with some nice action and T&A. Give it a look if you're a fan of the genre or a fan of nice boobs.

Say hello to the guys in Dallas....sweetheart.

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 30 July 2011]

Jim Brown is Slaughter, a guy whose parents are killed in the beginning for no real reason except for brown to become a little vexed and head off to an exotic location.

He kills a few people along the way, and then gets to cahoots with Rip Torns woman, who also happen to be the one responsible for killing his parents.

Torn is evil through and through, because he treats women like mud, and drinks a lot and gets other people to shoot their friends.....naughty.

So slaughter, and a comedy policeman try and take out the mob, while attracting the ladies, and having a funky soundtrack follow them wherever they may go....

A pretty straight forward action movie, with a soul cinema twist, Slaughter isn't original in the slightest, but it's so clichéd and hilarious, that it's impossible not to like.

Brown is great in his role and Torn does a good bad guy, although he does look like he's on drugs the majority of the time.

There are car chases that go on a bit too long, gunfights where the bad guys always miss, and balls that bounce for no reason at all.

Some of the camera angles are a little odd, but it all adds to the campness and the cheese of a good action movie.

Plus it's the best film ever to feature a scene where the hero knows someone has gone missing just by picking up a towel.

Pretty Bad

[metalface101 · 2/10 · 17 February 2005]

Rip Torn makes for a good heavy, but the action sequences are poorly choreographed (sic?) . I've always liked Jim Brown as an actor, but this is not one of his best. Bad guys get shot on rooftops and they seemingly jump off when hit. All kinds of gunfire come from the mobsters but our "heroes" never get shot.............and on the other hand, our heroes never miss. And what happens to Jim Brown's female friend and Cameron Mitchell towards the end of the movie? It seems the screenwriter forgot about them..........watch it and see what I mean. Good enough for one viewing, especially if you want to see Stella Stevens in a rare nude scene and that's it.

Banging blaxploitation film

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 21 October 2021]

Banging blaxploitation film starring Jim Brown as an ex Green Beret who travels to Puerto Rico to kick some serious butt. Really good action content, with well-staged shoot-ups, fights and car chases. Its helped also with a pretty good cast too, with Rip Torn playing an especially despicable racist villain. Real good fun to be had here.

Bad acting, worse plot

[dscabicky · 4/10 · 9 November 2009]

I'm all for 1970s low-budget exploitation films but Slaughter failed to satisfy. The plot, if there is one, is confused, as if the first reel was missing. After Billy Preston's lame theme song you are dropped into the middle of a confusing story about the mafia, or maybe Mexican mobsters, who kill star Brown's parents in the first 10 seconds. Why? I still don't know. Something about a computer. From there the tale meanders with little action and some really bad acting. That can be forgiven if the film is at least a little fun but there's not much of that either.Brown's 'Hell Up in Harlem" is a lot more fun and makes a lot more sense.

Plenty Of Jive!

[damianphelps · 6/10 · 30 April 2023]

In a long long line of Blaxploitation movies you pretty much know how it will play out and Slaughter is not different in this regards.

Slaughter is, if anything, a better offering in the genre and Jim Brown does more than a solid job as "Slaughter".

What the movie lacks for most of the time is slaughter, its a bit of a slow film until the last 30 minutes where things finally get going.

Rip Torn is equally good as the chief bad guy with a delightfully sinister performance.

The genre is what the genre is but they do offer some throwback fun films and Slaughter is one of those good additions :)

Ridiculous...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 4/10 · 7 February 2009]

Ridiculous to be sure, but also extremely entertaining. Jim Brown is the title character, a former Green Beret who, after his "connected" father is blown up by a car bomb, exacts his revenge of the mobsters responsible. This being Jim Brown and a war hero, he has the blessing of the US government. Brown is his usual robotic self (read that as dullard), but the supporting cast is a real treat. Rip Torn is a really creepy mobster, Stella Stevens his put upon moll who, naturally, ends up in bed with Brown. Cameron Mitchell is the government man who ropes Brown in and he wears a really obvious toupee. The direction by Jack Starrett is pretty erratic...there's a pretty blurry chase on a runaway between a car and an airplane.

Starrett would improve his drive-in cred a few years later with the likes of RACE WITH THE DEVIL and A SMALL TOWN IN Texas. Aping SHAFT and SUPERFLY, SLAUGHTER does have a pretty wacky title song (written and performed by the great Billy Preston).

Great Black Exploitation Flick

[qormi · 8/10 · 20 October 2012]

Take it for what it is...entertainment. Slaughter delivers. Plenty of action, shooting, punching, stabbing, etc. Slaughter takes on the mob and turns them out al dente. Rip Torn is suitably hateful as the Mafia hit man. Stella Stevens is incredibly delicious in and out of her bikini. Slaughter spends the entire film kicking butt on those cheese suckin', mother ------' mafia racists. Great car chases, I might add. I liked it when Slaughter just sped up to the mafia estate in his Mustang, skidded across the courtyard, let the door fly open, and start shooting. One dumb scene at the beginning: Slaughter's dad gets blown up by a car bomb. His car is engulfed in flames while the camera lingers on the inferno. The next scene, we see Slaughter in the ER waiting room. The doctor comes out of surgery and tells Slaughter that his dad didn't make it. Uhhh...I guess the paramedics had to sweep him up in a dustpan to get him to the hospital.

Jim Brown blaxploitation

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 4 August 2023]

Former Green Beret Slaughter (Jim Brown) wants revenge after a car bomb kills his parents. His father's underworld dealings got him killed by the mob and the killers keep coming. Slaughter tracks them down. Dominic Hoffo (Rip Torn) is an ambitious thug under mob boss Mario Felice. Ann (Stella Stevens) is part of the organization.

I like Jim Brown kicking butt and taking names. As long as the movie stays in that area, I have no problem with it. It gets a bit boring when it tries to tell a story. As far as blaxploitation, this is somewhere in the middle. The production value is better than most. I like Jim Brown and I like the action.

Worst movie ever

[mls4182 · 1/10 · 19 March 2021]

Low budget, low class, violent and overall grotesque film. Quite possibly the death nail in Steven's career.

Baby, it's Jim Brown....

[Poseidon-3 · 9 March 2005]

Somehow, in even the most sleazy, tacky and sordid surroundings, Brown was able to retain a level of dignity and appeal in his movies. This film revels in the various hallmarks of the Blaxpoitation genre, but Brown comes out of it unscathed. He plays a former Green Beret whose parents are killed by the Mob (his father was heavily involved with them.) When he tries to exact revenge, he winds up recruited by Treasury Department official Mitchell to work together in bringing down several mobsters in Mexico. Here, he is aided by Gordon and, to a lesser degree Clark. Alfe is the primary fat cat with Torn as his second in command. Things get complicated and very ugly when Alfe sends Torn's ex-hooker girlfriend (Stevens) to soften up (or harden?) Brown. Brown, though very low-key through most of the film, presents such an amiable presence despite the tawdriness of the material that he makes this film worth watching. His "shoot first, ask questions later" character is somewhat ill-defined, but he gives the film some honor. Gordon does an admirable job as his short, adoring sidekick who wishes he had even a tenth of Brown's magnetism and ability. Torn gives a brooding, slimy, but interesting performance as a racist, vicious thug. Stevens gets a showy dress (and undress!) rehearsal for her memorable role as an ex-prostitute in "The Poseidon Adventure" (filmed just after this.) Her look in this film is precisely the same, though she has some far more adult scenes in this one. Brown's sex scenes with Stevens had to have been quite the eye-openers in 1972 as they still are even today! It's clear that the two had chemistry together and clearly enjoyed their relationship as actors. Alfe (who, oddly, has not one other screen credit to his name) is distinctive and memorable (if, at times, unintentionally funny.) With a Mr. Roarke hairdo and with a voice that may not be the actor's own, he nonetheless does a decent job of presenting a man with power and influence. Mitchell hardly appears and Clark's role is an almost total throwaway (though she has one memorably hilarious exit from an apartment doorway!) This film is not for everyone as it is decidedly politically incorrect with plenty of the "N" word flying around. However, it is filled with interesting lead actors who give their all to their roles and help it to rise above cheaper variations on the genre. A few of the bit players are bad, but they aren't around long in most cases. Only some of the interior shots in hotel rooms or offices betray a lack of budget (with rotten sound and lighting.) There is definite overuse of a fish-eye lens which becomes distracting and is a by-product of the era. Much of the film, though, comes off as pretty slick with a terrific title song, some well-handled action scenes and enough spark in the dialogue to hold one's interest. It's the type of flick where the men refer to each other as "baby" and even "sweetheart" all in the name of that inimitable 1970's funk. It was followed by an even more lurid, but entertaining, sequel.

Pretty solid

[dworldeater · 7/10 · 4 April 2020]

Jim Brown is John Slaughter an ex Green Beret who after his folks get blown up by The Mob leads him to South America working for The Man to take down The Mob as both him and the government share a mutual interest in taking these thugs down. Slaughter lives up to its name and is quite violent and action packed. The film looks sharp and Slaughter has a memorable kick ass theme song. Rip Torn makes for a psychotic villain and Stella Stevens is stunning as a love interest. Don Gordon is a solid supporting character, but is much better as a crooked cop a year later in The Mack. Overall this is a pretty fast paced and action packed 70's classic with Jim Brown as a very credible and cool lead. Good stuff, definitely recommend this for fans of blaxsploitation and action.

Blaxploitation

[boblipton · 6/10 · 6 August 2023]

Ex-Green Beret captain Jim Brown sees his father blown up in his car and decides to get his revenge pm the Mob. When he tracks down mob members at the airport, he interrupts an FBI sting. They let him go on condition that he fly down to Mexico and kill them all, which he proceeds to do.

It's a typical Blaxploitation film, with lots of action, and some lovely images by cinematographer Rosalío Solano. Brown is a considerable physical presence whose line readings are a bit off. Stella Stevens makes love to Brown, and Rip Torn, Cameron Mitchell, and Don Gordon fill out the list of White villains.

Sub-par early entry into the Blaxploitation cannon

[theskylabadventure · 4/10 · 26 March 2012]

Blaxploitation copped a lot of grief. White people called it subversive, a lot of black folks considered it self-abusive. Those who loved it, and still do, took it on its own terms, as simple, trashy fun.

Sadly, it's fun that is sorely missing from this lame Jim Brown vehicle. Brown plays the titular ex-Marine and all-round bad-ass whose father is murdered by some Latin American gangsters. Whatever Slaughter actually does for a living is obviously not so important that he can't drop it in a heartbeat to and work for some CIA-esque law agency who are trying to shut the gangsters down. With all the money and equipment they have at their disposal, they haven't been able to do this, so they recruit Slaughter to do it for them because... well, presumably, for some reason, they think he can. Sound silly? It is.

Unlike many of the lighter Blaxploitation films, there are no winks to the audience here. No, the film-makers seem to actually want us to take them seriously. This is the film's downfall.

Jim Brown is charismatic enough, though he's no Richard Roundtree or Fred Williamson. Stella Stevens genuinely shines as his "love" interest and a young Rip Torn is positively loony (and totally out-of-place) as the goon-turned-boss out to get Slaughter. The rest is padding. The action sequences are barely worth watching and the script is not a patch on the films it clearly tries to emulate.

All things considered, Slaughter is really one for die-hard Blaxploitation fans and/or completists. All others proceed with caution.

Crap to the Nth Degree - Awful!

[strawgert · 1/10 · 25 February 2012]

I don't know if this is considered a spoiler, but in my opinion, this was pure crap and just a lame excuse to allow a white woman the pleasure of being intimate with a black man. No plot, just a bunch of unrealistic killings and an inept, ineffective, idiotic, three stooges kind of so-called mob. The real mob is not as stupid as this movie made them out to be. Unreal. Went from very bad to even worse. Poor script, poor dialog, extra poor acting from EVERYBODY. I rated it as a 1 only because there was no way to rate it any lower. To be fair, it should be rated zero to the one-thousandth power. I'm almost willing to bet the total cost for making this "movie" was less than a thousand dollars.

I'm the one who's running this organization! Your just too stupid to see that!

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 6 September 2009]

***SPOILERS*** Predictable blood splattered shoot em up flick with that baddest of all bad dudes Jim Brown in the role of the ex-Green Beret butt-kicker Slaughter who's out to get those who had his parents iced in a flaming car bomb explosion.

Sent on a mission by the US Treasury Dept. to far off Mexico to get the goods on the Felice Mob Slaughter is more then eager to find the man who was responsible for his parents murder but is kept on a short ease, like an out of control pit bull, by A.W Price, Cameron Mitchell, the US Government Agent who sent him there. It's seems from past experience that Slaughter likes to do things his way, shoot first and ask questions later, which is contrary to US foreign policy as well as doesn't, by putting innocent as well as guilty people in the morgue, make good sense.

With beady eyed Harry, Don Godon, as his sidekick Slaughter does a bit of slaughtering himself by taking on the Felice Mob who are in the process of setting up a major drug distribution center south of the border. Mob Boss Felice played by Norman Alfe in his first and only movie appearance, and from the looks of his ham acting you can see why, is really not that into violence feeling that it's bad for business but his right hand man Hoffo, Rip Torn, a blood thirsty psychopath is.

Hoffo with his sour puss face looking like he overdosed on a king size bottle of Tabasco Sauce is also the man who had Slaughter's parents killed. In that "Pop" Slaughter was in on some kind of deal involving computers that he kept from his boss Mario Felice that was in danger of blowing his entire drug operation. It's that Hoffo had this done without Felice's authorization that had Slaughter go into action. This was something, using unnecessary violence, that Felice was dead set against and with him finding out that Hoffo is responsible for all this Hoffo's days are numbered. That's if Hoffo doesn't get to him first!

Jim Brown does it all in "Slaughter" without as much as breaking a sweat. Besides him doing more then his share of slaughtering the bad guys Brown also finds time to get in on with Hoffo's girlfriend, or better yet sex slave, the blond busty and wide eyed Ann played by Stella Stevens. Even though he's ordered by his boss A.W Price to hold off the shooting until the calvary, or the US Treasury Agents, arrives Slaughter is so good at his job, of slaughtering, that there was nothing left of the Felice Mob, including Felice himself, by the time they arrived for them to arrest!

Don't mess around with Jim Brown!

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 April 2007]

Rugged ex-Green Beret Slaughter (excellently played with mucho smooth macho aplomb by football great Jim Brown) goes to South America to exact a harsh revenge on the gangsters who killed his parents. Slaughter locks horns with coarse, nasty, racist mob boss Hoffo (a deliciously odious Rip Torn) and romances Hoffo's sweet'n'sexy moll Ann (a charming performance by the breathtakingly beautiful Stella Stevens, who has a splendidly steamy gratuitous shower nude scene). 70's drive-in movie maestro Jack ("Race With the Devil") Starrett directs with his customary tight'n'brisk streamlined efficiency: the snappy pace rarely lets up for a minute, the copious action scenes are vigorous and exciting, there's no pretense to speak of, and the violence is startlingly raw and brutal (Brown really seems to enjoy pounding on various extras with his fists during the ferocious hand-to-hand fight sequences). Kudos are also in order for the stellar supporting cast: Don Gordon as Slaughter's antsy, bumbling partner Harry, Marlene Clark as pesky government agent Kim, Norman Alfe as wise, gravel-voiced Mafia kingpin Mario, and Cameron Mitchell as a huffy treasury inspector. Luchi De Jesus' funky score, Rosalio Solano's slick cinematography (the frequent use of the fish-eye lens is very groovy), Billy Preston's awesomely hip'n'ripping theme song, and a couple of smoking hot interracial love scenes with Brown and Stevens further enhance the overall sterling quality of this on the money solid and satisfying vintage down'n'dirty 70's blaxploitation blast.

A Basic Crime-Drama which Featured Plenty of Action

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 4 December 2013]

Jim Brown plays a former Green Beret captain named "Slaughter" who is shocked to hear that his parents have been killed by a car bomb. He then discovers that the reason for this was because his father knew some details about an underworld crime boss named "Mario Felice" (Norman Alfe) and his subordinate, "Dominic Hoffo" (Rip Torn) has taken it upon himself to kill them. Although the information is rather sketchy, Slaughter decides to take matters into his own hands and kills one of the men he thinks was responsible. But this ruins a Department of the Treasury stakeout and as a result the person in charge of it "A. W. Price" (Cameron Mitchell) coerces Slaughter to work for them in exchange for not pressing murder charges against him. Naturally, Slaughter agrees and he is soon headed to South America to hunt for the person who ordered the hit on his parents. Anyway, rather than disclosing the rest of the story I'll just say that this was a basic crime-drama which featured plenty of action but other than a couple of interracial love scenes between Jim Brown and Stella Stevens (as Dominic's mistress named "Ann") there really wasn't anything that remarkable about it. But this was 1972 after all and racial tensions were more predominant back then. In any case, the acting was mediocre (at best) and the movie suffered because of it. That said I rate this movie as average---but nothing more than that.

Thank goodness for Directv...

[mawhite2001 · 7 February 2001]

...because I've been able to watch this film and other great blaxploitation classics.The plot is pretty basic for this genre(the tough black hero avenges the death of his loved one and kick some "whitey" butt in the process).Although the film seems dated,the action pieces more than make up for it.Jim Brown shows a limited range as an actor,but Rip Torn is great as the slimy mobster & Stella Stevens is hot as always as the girlfriend.

slaughter

[mossgrymk · 3/10 · 28 August 2023]

Typical 70s, AIP swill. About a third as good as this same director's later film for the studio, "Cleopatra Jones". And it makes good American International offerings like "Coffey" look like Bridge Over The Friggin Kwai. I stuck with it for an hour or so because I'm a big Stella Stevens fan and an even bigger Rip Torn fan and I very much agree with Joe Gillis, as he read Norma Desmond's memoirs, that it's fun to see just how bad bad writing can get. But when I realized, somewhere between the obligatory sex scene with JB and SS and what felt like the umpteenth car chase/fight/shooting, to music that sounded like Lalo Schiffrin with gastrointestinal issues, that I was watching rather pallid violence and soft core porn, I pulled the plug. Don't give many ratings lower than 4 on this site but I'll happily make an exception for this mongrel. D plus.

PS...This has to be the most uninspired cinematic look at Mexico City, well, ever.

What's not to like about this movie?!

[willandcharlenebrown · 10/10 · 20 May 2019]

Really awesome movie with great acting. Good story line. Taboo interracial relationship. Bad racist white guys that you can't wait to be taken down! Perfect blaxploitation movie! Jim Brown rocked it!!!!