Black Belt Jones (1974) User Reviews

I'm gonna make you sweat one way... and then the other.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 20 March 2010]

Pop (Scatman Crothers) is a womanizing, gambling caricature, but he has a piece of property the Mob wants. He and his friends, win the first battle, but the Mob and their henchmen are persistent.

Jim Kelly Enter the Dragon, Three the Hard Way) is Black Belt Jones, and the action sequences certainly make up for the lack of acting ability.

Ah, but it is Florida Seminole Gloria Hendry (Across 110th Street, Black Caesar, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off) that attracts me to the film, and she doesn't disappoint.

Malik Carter (Cobra, Pervert!) as Pinky, the tool for the Mob was hilarious. he is the quintessential caricature of blaxploitation.

Breezy and enjoyable.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 8 January 2002]

Jim Kelly may not be in the class of Bruce Lee, but he does show some impressive martial-arts moves; his co-star, Gloria Hendry, more than holds her own. This flick is half blaxploitation actioner and half Bond movie; in both fields, you could do much worse. The plot is minimal, to say the least, and the silly sound effects used to "enhance" the various kicks and punches do date the film, but it's still very fast-paced, playful and thoroughly enjoyable. (**1/2)

Whacky, wild, and unbelievably funny!

[hitman514 · 18 September 2001]

When you have a 70's kung-fu flick full of polyester suits and afro's, along with such choice dialogue as "Ouch! You shot me!", "I'm Gonna turn you into fudge", or "Tuna who?", you know you're in for the time of your life!

Definitely to be watched with a group of friends, this is a one-of-a-kind gem among all movies. The action is often so badly choreagraphed and timed that it's F'N good!

Plot is the same as any basic old-school chop-socky... martial arts school fights from being taken over, master is killed, and main character must avenge the master. Think "Chinese Connection" (Bruce Lee), but 70's ghetto style!

The sound track itself is a reason enough to see BLACK BELT JONES! Jim Kelly ROCKS!

a blast

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 5 April 2010]

i think this film belongs to the genre of 70's blaxploitation/martial arts/action.regardless,i really enjoyed it.i thought it was a real blast.there's plenty of martial arts action.there's also a lot of funny scenes,some i'm sure are intentional,and some that might not be.the acting wasn't that bad,in my opinion.it wasn't Oscar Worthy or anything,but i don't think it was supposed to be.the music was kinda cheesy but it grew on me after awhile.this was actually the first movie i've seen of this genre.i picked it as part of a four pack of movies of the same genre.i'll definitely be checking out the other three very soon.The other three titles are "Black Samson","Hot Potato",and "Three the Hard Way".for me,Black Belt Jones is a 7/10

So travel back in time to when Martial Arts was FUN and definitely see Black Belt Jones!

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 26 February 2013]

When the Mafia, as best represented by Don Steffano and Big Tuna (Philippe and Barbi) try to overrun Pop Byrd (Crothers) and his BlackByrd karate studio because they want the land it's on, a conflict ensues. So the best man for the job is called in to clean up the mess with the mob: Black Belt Jones (Kelly)! Enlisting the help of Sydney (Hendry), who's one bad mama, the two do what they do best: kick and punch the unwitting baddies until their heads spin. But will the mafia give up, or will they continue to fight? Find out today! Black Belt Jones is classic 70's Blaxploitation all the way. It's an extremely enjoyable and lighthearted romp, filled with everything that makes the era great: fly threads, cool cars, big hair, evil whiteys and of course the music, the theme by Dennis Coffey and the rest by Luchi DeJesus. The music is integral to the film and goes a long way towards propelling the action. It's also completely great in its own right, and while it, surprisingly, has never been reissued on CD (as far as we know), there is a reissue LP that's floating around out there.

It's easy to forget this, but Jim Kelly's actual name in the movie is Black Belt Jones. No other name is given - ever. So dialogue like this is heard: "Belt, you better get over here quick". This among many other examples. But Jim Kelly is one cool customer, and everything he does is cool - he even presses a button for an elevator in an amazingly cool way. Most of the movie is just entertaining and funny, in that way that movies were in the blissful age before political correctness corroded the world.

It also was ahead of its time, as it features prominently women on trampolines, predating The Man Show by 25 years, and, having a character named Big Tuna, it predates The Office by a whopping 31 years. There's also what might be dubbed a "Black Belt Funeral" (not for Jones, of course - but don't you want some strong Black Brothers practicing their moves next to your coffin - next to what looks to be a painting of Toshiro Mifune? We thought so.) And the movie all comes to a head at a car wash with an insane amount of suds everywhere. Apparently car washes were huge in the 70's.

We had seen this movie on the Warner Brothers big-box VHS, but then re-watched the Widescreen DVD, which is a nice improvement and a worthwhile purchase. So travel back in time to when Martial Arts was FUN and definitely see Black Belt Jones! For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Were you also cheesed when Jim Kelly bought it in such a crappy way in Enter the Dragon?

[zetes · 7/10 · 23 August 2001]

Well here's a movie for you! Black Belt Jones is a must for aficionados of martial arts films, blaxpoitation films, and cult films in general. It boasts probably the funniest opening fight scene that I've ever seen (unintentional or not? it's difficult to tell in this film; I have an acute feeling that everyone was just joking around and having a lot of fun), in which Jim Kelly aka Black Belt Jones (one of the greatest character names in cinema history, to be sure) ends the thing by shooting a bullet into a man's ass. It also boasts maybe the only fight scene where Scatman Crothers kicks some butt. And a scene where Jim Kelly kicks about a dozen guys out of train windows. And a set piece where everyone battles it out in a car wash with bubbly soap covering the scenery. The guy who plays Sidney also played the young black kid in The Omega Man, the one whom Charlton Heston tried to save. It also contains more abuse to the testicles than any film I've ever seen - none of the good guys have any qualms in the least about attacking the male package. If you see it with a bunch of guys, expect loud groaning all through the film. However much camp value there is, it does grow old during the course of the film. It's still a funny and distracting film. 7/10

A Blaxploitation-Martial Arts Film

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 4 July 2016]

Although he has a lucrative business dealing in counterfeit dollars, a Mafia godfather by the name of "Don Steffano" (Andre Philippe) decides that he wants to purchase some land where a huge civic center is about to be built so that he can make a hefty profit. The problem is that on this land is a karate school run by a man named "Papa Byrd" (Scatman Crothers) who has no interest in selling it to anybody. So Don Steffano gives the task of obtaining this parcel of land to a black mobster named "Pinky" (Malik Carter) who doesn't dare to cross him. Unfortunately, Pinky goes a bit too far one night and accidentally kills Papa Byrd and this results in the karate school going directly to Papa Byrd's daughter "Sydney" (Gloria Hendry) who not only wants to keep the school but also wants to find out who killed her father. And one of the few people who can help her do both is a student of Papa Byrd named "Black Belt Jones" (Jim Kelly). Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I was slightly disappointed in this movie for a couple of reasons. First, although I didn't mind the fact that this martial arts movie also doubled as a Blaxploitation film, I thought the romantic scene between Sydney and Black Belt Jones was rather clumsy and the fight scene at the very end was much too long and boring. Likewise, most of the humor throughout the movie needed some serious improvement as well. Having said all of that I suppose this movie was still somewhat entertaining and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I'll slap the black off you!

[gersz · 10/10 · 1 September 2002]

This has got to be one of the most funky and hilarious movies of all time. The sheer amount of celery used is phenomenal. I especially enjoy Pinky's rhyme about bread, his groin, and coins. Some of the acting is poor and lack luster, notably BB's girlfriend. However, this adds a kind of camp or kitsch making the movie that much more enjoyable. Jim Kelley is by far one of the coolest brothers ever. This is definitely Blaxploitation at its finest.

Silly, cheesy fun.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 6/10 · 7 August 2018]

Following the phenomenonal success of "Enter the Dragon," director Robert Clouse and co-star Jim Kelly teamed up for this more tongue in cheek martial arts flick, "Black Belt Jones." Released in 1974 and distributed by "Warner Bros," Jim Kelly was given his first and best leading role. He becomes reluctantly embroiled in a war between local businessmen and a Mafia family, after the latter threaten his martial arts school with closure. It has been said that not all martial artists can "sell" their moves on the big screen by being more larger than life. As a result, it doesn't pave the way for a successful movie career. In the case of Jim Kelly however, he can certainly put on a good show and he does in "Black Belt Jones." One of the best examples of this, is when he takes on a group of corrupt police officers at a car park. Some neat moves are on display. The ending I found to be a bit too silly for words. Robert Clouse does a good enough job in the directing but Bruce Lee is sorely missed when it comes to the fight choreography. A pretty good film on the whole.

Still bad, after all these years...

[poe426 · 2/10 · 23 January 2013]

Jim Kelly, "introduced" first in MELINDA in 1972 and then again in ENTER THE DRAGON the following year, was one of the more personable of the "point karate" players to try to make it big on The Big Screen. Unfortunately, Kelly put his fate in the hands of director Robert Clouse, who seemed determined to be remembered as a maker of Grade-Z motion pictures. While Kelly was no great acting talent, he DID have enough personality to carry a B-movie like this one- provided the director was on his game (which, in this case, he wasn't). Kelly's limited kicking skills made for some often uninteresting fight scenes (in MELINDA, for instance, he literally had to jump up on the hood of a car to kick a man in the head), especially when he was paired with a real kicker like Dorian Tan (THE TATTOO CONNECTION)- who had no trouble whatsoever outshining his co-star. (Kelly also seemed to have trouble grasping the difference between Reality and Fantasy: at one point, he challenged former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier to a no-holds-barred fight. Kelly lucked out when Frazier laughed off the challenge.) (And it's interesting to note that very few of the "point" karate players went on to full-contact careers when full-contact karate became a reality...) The most glaring example of Kelly's limitations comes in BLACK BELT JONES when he faces off against a bunch of bad guys in a car wash: knee-deep in suds (which are very slippery), his kicking is even less impressive than normal; he literally seems afraid to lose his balance (which is understandable)- and the skinny stunt-double with the outrageously ridiculous afro wig is yet another example of Clouse's misdirection. I saw this one at a walk-in theater when it was first released, and later at a drive-in, and the one constant through all of my viewings has been the realization that this is NOT a good movie- it never was and it ain't NOW.

Kung Fu/Action/Blaxsploitation/Comedy at its best!

[SlimXX · 10/10 · 22 September 1999]

I found out about this movie by title alone through a strange series of overheard conversation and jokes. I had no idea it would be this great! Black Belt Jones stars Jim Kelly who's best known for his role in Enter the Dragon aside Bruce Lee, but don't expect the same kind of film. The entire movie is just about perfect if you like cheesy 70's action movies, kung fu movies, or just a good laugh. I really can't tell if the director intended for this movie to be funny or not, but it had me on the floor laughing. It's really not funny in a bad, MST3K way, but actually in a respectable manner. I don't think anyone could watch even the opening credits to this movie without laughing. Jim Kelly can actually pull off some nice fighting moves, but while doing so, emits some of the funniest vocalizations I've ever heard. Imagine a deeper voiced Bruce Lee crossed with Larry from The Three Stooges. The plot of the movie is simple and never gets in the way of the enjoyment of the film and such great lines as "You won't be back for more! If you want some more, then come on back!" And if you like this movie, especially Jim Kelly's fighting, I'd suggest watching Three the Hard Way which, while not as amusing of a film, has some great Jim Kelly fight scenes in the same style as Black Belt Jones. Rent both films for a great Jim Kelly double-feature!

Everyone Loves Black Belt Jones

[tkdlifemagazine · 6/10 · 12 January 2024]

How can you not love Black Belt Jones. Jim Kelly is an icon of the 1970's, most notably for his work in bruce's Lee's Enter The Dragon. He is great in this B-grade, self aware Blaxploitation film. It is kelly, sticking up for his friends trying to save a Karate school from being pushed out by the Mob as part of a redevelopment project. It is hokey. It is funny. It is way too politically incorrect to be made today. It is low budget but it is fun. The fight scenes and action and campy music all make the time pass quickly. The characters are all intentionally steriotypical. I Loved it for what it is.

It's bad...but enjoyable nonetheless.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 26 June 2011]

"Black Belt Jones" is a rather poor blaxsploitation film, but it does have a couple things going for it. First, the action is very good--even if the celery-cracking is a bit over the top and Kelly's vocalizations sound like Curly Howard is playing the lead! Second, the film never takes itself too seriously. Because of these factors, it's worth a look if you like the genre or want a good laugh.

The plot is a VERY generic and familiar one with Black Belt Jones working for some unnamed government agency out to bring down the mob. It never gets any deeper than that, folks! And you wonder why a group of mobsters are interested in taking over a martial arts studio....but it's funny. The funniest part is when the owner of the studio, Scatman Crothers, kicks mob butt! Think about it, Crothers is elderly AND sporting one of the cheesiest toupees in movie history and he's pretending to be a kung fu genius!! But he's not the only silly guy in the film. ALL the bad guys have one thing in common--when covertly attacked they NEVER call out for help or yell! There also is the GREAT foreplay scene at the 66 minute mark--as Jones and his lady love do the weirdest stuff en route to some nookie! The sum total effect of all this cheese is a fun picture that you like but you also can't take at all seriously--even if Kelly was very good with his kicking and punching.

Very silly but actually a bit endearing as well.

The most entertaining b-grade blaxploitation martial arts action movie ever made!

[Infofreak · 6 April 2003]

There's no way on earth I'm gonna argue that 'Black Belt Jones' is a great movie, even a very good one, but no matter how silly and cheesy it gets it's a hell of a ride and lots of fun! Let's face it this is b-grade exploitation fare deliberately designed to cash in on both the mid-70s blaxploitation boom and the success of Bruce Lee's martial arts classic 'Enter The Dragon'. Dragon's director Robert Clouse (who also made the hugely enjoyable post-apocalyptic potboiler 'The Ultimate Warrior') took karate champion Jim Kelly, who co-starred with Lee and John Saxon in that film, and tried to start a spin-off franchise with him. The big problem was that Kelly certainly had the fighting chops but his acting was only so-so and he was one of the least charismatic of all the blaxploitation leading men. Just compare him to Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree or Ron O'Neal and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, for one movie at least it didn't really matter. Kelly stars as Black Belt Jones who returns to the inner city karate school where he got his start after the death of his mentor Pop Byrd (the wonderful Scatman Crothers, who yes, kicks some butt before he is killed, a sight you'll never forget!). Jones teams up with Pop's estranged daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry of 'Black Caesar' and 'Savage Sisters'), also a fighter, and his peeps to avenge Pop's death. The rest of the cast includes Eric Laneuville ('The Omega Man'), Earl Brown (Whisper from 'Live And Let Die'), and even Isaac the bartender from 'The Love Boat' as a Black Panther! This is a silly movie, but still loads of fun, with some very entertaining fight sequences, and some laughs, intentional and unintentional. 'Black Belt Jones' is mandatory viewing for all 1970s trash buffs.

Classic Blaxploitation-chop-socky

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 1 May 2023]

Black-belt Jones (Jim Kelly) takes on the mob and some treacherous brotha's when his karate alma mater and his former sensi Pop Boyd (Scatman Crothers) are threatened. Made just after the massive success of 'Enter the Dragon', Kelly seems to be almost parodying his former co-star Bruce Lee's characteristic martial mannerisms (notably the odd little chirps and hoots while dealing destruction), and the semi-comic villains, ridiculous sound-effects (blows sound the same no matter where, or with what, you strike a person), and over-the-top fight-choreography are straight out of the silly low-budget kung-foolery that was popular in the early 1970s. The script is quite humorous (although now would be considered offensive in some quarters for (ill-)liberal sprinklings of the 'N-word') and there are some really funny scenes (the best IMO is the scene where Black-belt performs a few classic fighting moves leading up to pushing an elevator button). Tall, lean and topped by a bulbous afro, Kelly is fun to watch as he flattens, and reflattens, a score or two of inept henchmen and, Sidney (Black-belt's main squeeze, played by Gloria Hendry, a 'sacrificial-lamb Bond-girl in the previous years 'Live in Let Die') is a kick-ass ass-kicker herself. Scatman Crothers makes the most of his limited screen time and his banter with his much larger main-squeeze Lucy (Ester Sutherland) is priceless ("I'm gonna slap the black off you!"). The whole cast is perfect for the film and the athletic stunts, however improbable, are well done and fun to watch. A pleasant surprise, 'Black-belt Jones' was much more entertaining than expected and I suspect that unlike most of its ilk, I was laughing with the film, not at it. Light-weight, retro fun.

fun seventies action

[johnc2141 · 7/10 · 21 February 2011]

I disagree with most of the critics that call this one of the worst films ever made,along with the video of the 50 worst movies ever,many of which i enjoyed.black belt jones is an enjoyable action/comedy/melodrama starring the great Jim Kelly who was in enter the dragon a year before with the late great;Bruce Lee.the only thing is the mob guys in the movie are just too goofy and stupid.and the thugs as well.the ending is really good,not giving away spoilers but black belt jones is very entertaining.maybe not as great as enter the dragon,but it holds its own.Mel Novak who played in a few Bruce Lee films plays one of the mob guys.i would rate this on a scale with three the hard way and the black gestapo.Jim Kelly does his own stunts and i believe trained with the late Bruce Lee.so if you hear this was one of the worst movies,don't believe it.i believe the critic Joe Bob Briggs would possibly agree.7 out of 10.

Jim Kelly Blaxploitation

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 29 April 2023]

Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly) is kicking criminals and working with the government. The Mafia is buying up land where the City is planning to build a new civic center. They recruit black thug drug-dealer Pinky. The karate school run by Pop Byrd (Scatman Crothers) is holding out. His daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry) is secretly the owner.

This is a sorta spinoff from Enter the Dragon in which Jim Kelly has a supporting role. In this one, Jim Kelly is the lead and he's trying to be the black Bruce Lee. It's Blaxploitation. The fighting is fine. The acting is alright. Jim Kelly is a functional lead. Nothing is standing out. It's mostly fine.

How appropriate this was released by Warner Brothers. It seems like one of their cartoons.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 12 January 2022]

Let's put it this way. Wile E. Coyote and Elmer Fudd are disguised as dimwitted mafia members here, trying to force Scatman Crothers to give up his boxing space which ultimately brings out his daughter (Gloria Hendry) and the title character Jim Kelly to fight them, and these two delightful martial art experts are a rough and tough variation of Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner. This is delightfully funny action film that focuses on martial arts, choreographed and performed in a way that is often comical with buffoonish mobsters unable to deal with the fast-moving Kelly and Hendry. Not for the kiddies though as no matter how it is performed, it is still a glorification a violence, although the teen girls utilize as trampeze artists to perform various duties is more cute than violent.

Every time a slug or slap or kick or whack is done, you expect the pow and bam famous from the "Batman" series. On the surface, Kelly doesn't look so tough, thin and lean yet fast and furious, very sexy wearing nothing but gym shorts in most scenes. When Hendry gets into the action, the action is more profound than funny at first, although watching her take down a bunch of pool room hustlers who were involved in the death of her father, Scatman Crothers, does bring on lots of chuckles as she takes off her shoes and unbuttons the front of her dress to get into action. He has a lot more to do here than she did in "Black Caesar". This time, you really have someone to root for, because the leading players are not Mobsters or Killers, just out to stop them from taking over and start more illegal activity. I don't think I stopped smiling at this one throughout because it is entirely just a complete delight, very funny as the beautiful Henry chases down men twice her size.

One of the best movies of all time!

[drunk-2 · 10/10 · 31 March 1999]

I love this movie. It has everything from a bad romantic story to great fighting scenes and even a scene where for no apparent reason "Black Belt" smashes a man's guitar. My favorite thing about this movie is that Black Belt Jones' job is to watch women jump on a trampoline, for which he seems to receive a hefty sum of money,judging by the size of his house. This movie has the worst phone acting I have ever had the opportunity to see. If you want to see great fighting scenes and pretty bad acting then see this film.

blaxploitation from the 70s.

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 3 February 2024]

How had I never seen this chapter of jim kelley martial arts blaxploitation films?? The cheesy sound effects and funky music. This one even has scatman crothers! The usual silly plot of having to fight the bad guys using only his martial arts skills. When a group of local politicians tries to do a land grab on a karate business, BB and friends must stop them any way they can. So much violence and swearing. The N word every few minutes. Definitely not for the young ones! Someone gets bumped off right in the first few minutes. The cars, the hairdo's. The wide ties of the 1970s. Keep your eyes peeled for marla gibbs (the jeffersons!) and ted lange (love boat!) ! It's pretty good, for its time. Some funny stuff, looking back now, assuming a lot of this was done tongue in cheek. Directed by robert clouse. Story by fred weintraub and alexandra rose, who also made hot potato together.

Basic Black Belt

[NoDakTatum · 5/10 · 7 December 2023]

Director Robert Clouse, notable for helming one of Bruce Lee's films and tons of TV and straight to video martial arts epics, shows a lighter touch on this blaxploitation actioner. Jim Kelly plays Black Belt Jones, a smooth martial arts expert. Los Angeles is trying to build a new civic center, and the mafia is buying all the land where it will be built so they can bilk the city government. The lone holdout is a karate school owned by Pop (Scatman Crothers). The mafia and second in command Big Tuna (Vincent Barbi) lean on loan shark hood Pinky (Malik Carter) to lean on Pop in turn. Pinky starts flashing a phony IOU around, trying to get Pop's property for payment. Black Belt Jones makes like the Man With No Name, playing the mafia off of Pinky's gang, and playing with Pop's daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry) on the side. Sydney is no delicate flower, able to kick butt with the best of them. The action packed climax takes place in a car wash run amok, and that is only one weird aspect of this film.

All the blacks in the film call each other "n****r," which had me on edge throughout. Twice, Sydney uses the word "f****t," and it was not as a term of endearment. Italians do not come off much better, eating spaghetti and talking with New Yawk accents- in Southern California. I enjoyed the film more when I watched it as a relic of the mid-1970's. Clouse and the cast do not take things too seriously, so the audience shouldn't either? Jim Kelly is an adequate hero, Hendry holds her own, and when was the last time you saw Scatman Crothers involved in a martial arts action set piece? The supporting cast is full of recognizable faces all around. One winery heist sequence involves trampoline skills! All the character names are funny enough without trying to keep track of them. Tongues are in cheek, from Pinky's wet meeting with the head of the mafia, to a car chase involving thrown panties. For blaxploitation, however, the film is definitely lacking in nudity and sexual content. Too much of the dialogue and sound effects are dubbed, and not well. The lip synch is way off. The fight scenes are good, but they eventually bore, since there are so many of them. "Black Belt Jones" is average stuff, but I have seen worse blaxploitation, and better. This falls right in the middle.

A hugely entertaining 70's blaxploitation blast

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 24 January 2010]

Hip and smooth ace martial artist Black Belt Jones (a supremely affable and charismatic performance by Jim Kelly) takes on a bunch of no-count mobsters who want to take over an inner city karate school in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Director Robert Clouse, working from a witty tongue-in-cheek script by Oscar Williams, relates the eventful story at a constant snappy pace, stages the wall to wall rough'n'tumble fights with considerable aplomb, and adds a winning mix of goofy humor and lowdown boss attitude to further enhance the infectiously wacky merriment. Kelly makes for a likable protagonist; he receives excellent support from the foxy Gloria Henry as the sassy Sydney, Eric Laneuville as eager student Quincy, and the always terrific Scatman Crothers as rascally karate grand master Pop Byrd (the sight of Crothers busting loose with some fancy chopsocky moves is positively sidesplitting!). The villains are a colorful bunch of over-the-top nasty dudes, with stand-out turns by Andre Philippe as evil gangster Don Steffano, Malik Carter as vicious drug pusher Pinky, and Vincent Barbi as fearsome capo Big Tuna. The crazy monkey noises Kelly makes as he beats numerous folks up, the typically garish 70's fashions, an outrageous climax set in a soap-filled car wash, and plenty of priceless campy dialogue ("Boy, we're gonna turn you into fudge") add substantially to the film's delightfully kitschy charm. Luchi DeJesus' funky syncopated score hits the right-on groovy spot while Kent Wakeford's cinematography makes nifty occasional use of gnarly freeze frames and strenuous slow motion. A great deal of vintage 70's drive-in fun.

Unconvincing martial art fights are all there is

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 13 September 2023]

(1974) Black Belt Jones MARTIAL ARTS ACTION

It centers on someone getting whacked for an incriminating photo of the don, Don Steffano (Andre Philippe). At the same time, after Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly) beat up some thugs who were after the secretary, he is called up to the secretary's right hand man, Roberts (Nate Esformes) tried to recruit him to recover that photo. And at first, he refuses and then leaves, but as soon as mafiaso, Don Steffano becomes involved. Becoming to be embolden to wanting to own a particular building owned by Papa Byrd (Scatman Crothers) used as a karate school, by attempting to use deceptive tactics, by convincing dope seller and owner of a club 'the Pick Pocket', Pinky (Malik Carter) to get him this building. And Don's two goons, instructed him to either get him this building that is used as a karate school or pay up the 250,000 they figured he owned them. And of course, Pinky and his men clash with the Popa Byrd and his students. But as soon as Pinky accidentally kills Papa, his daughter Sydney Byrd is called, as she too knows a little bit of karate as well. Ending the movie with fights coming from Kelly going against the mob and Pinky's men, in a parking lot full of garbage trucks full of bubbles through a car wash, with Sydney pushing the lever.

Made one year after Bruce Lee's death, and upon watching this, I was kinda hoping it would not stick solely to just unconvincing martial art fights often shown on many poorly dubbed "chop socky" movies. I was quite disappointed that was all there was, considering the fact it was directed by Robert Clouse, that is all he appears to have does, unlike other blaxploitation movies that does not just have fights but gunfights and car chases. I was quite amused with the amount of nicknames chanted, that was common during that era, besides "Pinky" and "Poppa" there's also Peacock, Dollar, Eye Casper, Big Tuna and Tappy.

Kung Fro at it's best

[The Fro · 19 February 1999]

Some serious a** kickin' goin' on here! Including Scatman Crothers getting down right raw, Bruce Lee style! Blaxploitation meets the Martials arts. And for another a**-kick-a-thon with Afro Lee (Jim Kelly), check out the tour-de-force, "Three the Hard Way" and his time to shine with the mack, B.L., in "Enter the Dragon".