Boss Nigger (1974) User Reviews

Funny comedy/western showcases "Boss" Williamson

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 28 February 2003]

This is a good, solid B movie; not a great western, but a satisfying "blaxploitation" flick mostly because the humor is well done. Not only do the actors bring out the best in the material, but the material (by Williamson himself, who would soon make the jump to directing but on this film hired veteran pro Arnold) is not bad itself.

Boss Ni**er includes a blaring title track that includes the immortal lines "he's a boss niiiiiiiggggaa" in what sounds like a white dude's best impression of Marvin Gaye. Its story concerns the Boss and his sidekick, played to perfection by Durville Martin of Dolemite fame ("I love those fat women" says his character, never knowing the trouble he could get into.....), as ex-slaves who "decided to hunt white folks for a change" and went out West to become bounty hunters. The plot follows the Yojimbo mold, even including a hastily assembled opportunity for Williamson to be captured and beaten near to death by the villains, only to recuperate and return for the final bloodbath.

Like so many of Williamson and Martin's films, the appeal of the film comes from their charisma and the humorous ways they interact with the other, more straight, characters of the film. Thus, even though the plot and structure are predictable, many individual scenes are very funny and entertaining. Unfortunately, the action is not very well done. There is a PG rating, and it's pretty violent considering this, but it keeps the film from rising into the realm of, say "Il Grande Silencio" or "Fistful of Dollars", to which it is very similar; Williamson and Co. seem to have gone instead for comedy.

The film is a success at reaching its modest goals, a good time for the audience letting off some tensions with a historically based race battle.

Also contains one of the greatest exit lines ever: "There's nothing worse for a black man that to drag around a white b*tch".

They call him Boss.

[Juggertrout · 7/10 · 20 March 2009]

Two black cowboys ride majestically across the American plain. The music is a kind of funk-Morricone, with a singer enthusiastically explaining that "They call him Boss. BOSS N*GGER!" A black woman is being assaulted by a group of white cowboys, our black heroes intervene and save this damsel in distress.

A blaxploitation Western was bound to happen eventually, and its a good thing Fred Williamson got there first. What Boss N*gger lacks in technical proficiency and skill it makes up for in heart and soul. The music is funktacular, especially the catchy theme tune, and the acting from our heroes is wonderful. Boss N*gger also boasts some very funny lines, such as Boss kissing a white woman, before going, "that's just to satisfy your curiosity."

It's slow at parts, but the idea of two black bounty hunters coming to a white town and setting their own rules is appealing, and the film pulls it off. There are also some great shootouts, especially the finale, which is really quite exhilarating, and features a remarkable, almost downbeat ending. This film is by no means a masterpiece, but it is one of the best blaxploitation films I've seen, and an admirable effort on a small budget.

He's so baaaaaad, they call him boss, boss um Afro-American!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 22 September 2014]

I love the prototypic and legendary Blaxploitation classics, such as "Black Ceasar" or "Shaft" for example, as much as the next cult cinema fanatic, but I must admit I always had a slight preference for– what I call them – "Blaxploitation with a plus" movies. I refer to the Blaxploitation films that simultaneously also venture into a totally different genre, like horror ("Blackula", "Abby") or psychedelic ("Ganja and Hess") or even Western. "Black Bounty Hunter", which is the alternative title that I'm forced to use because the website doesn't allow the usage of the titular N-word, is one of the only existing Blaxploitation westerns ever made! That little trivia aspect alone makes the film worth tracking down, and then I haven't even mentioned the fact that it is written by and starring the almighty Fred Williamson and directed by B-monster movie veteran Jack Arnold ("Creature from the Black Lagoon", "It came from Outer Space"). The film is fundamentally a parody of the western genre, but with plenty enough violence and action to satisfy hard-boiled genre fanatics, and with stellar acting performances and a funky swinging soundtrack atop. Whilst on the tail of wild west villain Jed Clayton, Boss and his loyal right hand Amos ride through the insignificant and Sheriff-less little town of San Miguel. Without consulting the townsfolk, and much against the will of the cowardly mayor Griffin, Boss declares himself Sheriff and Amos his deputy. They upset the conservative locals with their new laws and freshly invented money penalties, while patiently waiting for Jed to cross their paths. The comedy doesn't always work, except for a few notable moments with D'Urville Martin at his best, but the western action is old-fashioned good! Terrific supportive roles for R.G. Armstrong as the sleazy mayor and the stunning Barbara Leigh as one of Boss' romantic interests.

A Relatively Good Blaxploitation-Western

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 21 December 2015]

"Boss" (Fred Williamson) and "Amos" (D'Urville Martin) are two bounty hunters out west who just happen to come across some thieves who are dividing their loot. A gunfight breaks out and all of the outlaws are killed with one of them having a bounty on his head. So after pocketing the loot they proceed to ride toward the nearest town when they suddenly discover a young black woman named "Clara Mae" (Carmen Hayward) about to be raped by three or four ruffians who belong to a gang headed by a particularly notorious outlaw named "Jed Clayton" (William Smith). Another gunfight breaks out and after killing all of them Boss and Amos take Clara Mae to a small Mexican village not far from the town they are heading to in order to get their reward money. However, when they get to the town they discover that there is no sheriff and the man who runs things is secretly in cahoots with Jed Clayton. Sensing a golden opportunity, both Boss and Amos decide to set themselves up as the sheriff and deputy respectively. That way they can keep an eye out for Jed Clayton and get paid for doing it at the same time. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this turned out to be an entertaining Blaxploitation-Western for the most part. Although I didn't care for the numerous racial epithets in the script, I must admit that the film contained a couple of surprises here and there which definitely kept things interesting. That said, if a person is in the mood for a relatively good Blaxploitation or Western film then this one might be worth checking out. Slightly above average.

Better than Williamson's JOSHUA - but not by much

[Wizard-8 · 17 December 2009]

I had wanted to see this movie for a long time, but I could never find it in any video rental stores. The reason for that probably is the provocative title. I finally got a copy of it for a Christmas present and I sat down to enjoy it. I found some things about the movie enjoyable. As others have said here, the title song is very memorable, though the funk music score elsewhere in the movie is equally enjoyable despite not being western-flavor. Also, Williamson's performance here is great. He makes for a charismatic (and amusing) hero that you hope will succeed, and his abusing of the racist town citizens is good for some laughs.

In fact, Williamson's performance comes close to saving the movie - but the movie ultimately disappoints. It's a low-budget movie, with frequent camera set-ups that were obviously set up quickly. As Williamson's sidekick, D'Urville Martin is mostly wasted. In fact, it wouldn't take very much rewriting to remove his character from the script. Speaking of the script, it is filled with scenes that seem to fill no purpose, and partly because of that the movie is VERY slow-moving at times. If all this fat were cut out, the movie would be much, much shorter-running.

If you decide to watch this movie, a warning about the DVD. Although it's presented at its correct aspect ration (2.35:1), the print looks very crummy, and the audio is weak as well.

Love the title!

[ascen_pro · 6/10 · 24 May 2021]

BTW, the term "blaxploitation" is a misnomer. These movies of the '70s didn't exploit blacks at all. They were designed to SATISFY blacks who wanted to hurt whites for their perceived mistreatment, much as some do now. The makers of these flicks always found the creepiest looking white guys they could find to play the Evil White characters, which these movies were full of.

Great fun western

[danielkarlsson-59736 · 6/10 · 6 September 2021]

I found this film to be a solid low-budget western/blaxploitation movie.

The actors seem to genuinely enjoy themselves and it shows.

D'urville Martin and Fred Williamson play off each other to great effect.

William Smith also does a fine job as a brawny villain and the fight scenes really gets the adrenaline pumping.

Granted, the limited budget shows here and there, but to me that just adds to the charm of this rip-roaring, two-fisted film.

They call him Boss

[tomgillespie2002 · 5/10 · 22 June 2011]

Made at the height of the Black Power movement, Boss N****r (or The Black Bounty Killer) is a blaxploitation western that was written and co-produced by genre legend Fred Williamson. Boss (Williamson) and his friend Amos (D'Urville Martin) are bounty hunters who are looking for wanted man Jed Clayton (William Smith), in order to claim a big reward. When they arrive at a small town where they suspect he may be, they discover it has no sheriff, and is instead being run by corrupt Mayor Griffin (R.G. Armstrong). Tired of being controlled by those damn 'whities', they instate themselves as sheriff and deputy, and stamp their own brand of law enforcement on the community.

Whether this is a genuinely angry film, made in the midst of racial tension and the rise of Black Power, or a satirical play on a familiar scenario with the roles reversed, I'm not sure. It certainly made me feel uncomfortable every now and then. There is only one white character in the whole town that treats the Boss as an equal, and he is quick to stamp his superiority over her as he seduces her. I know, this is a blaxploitation film and the theme is practically always sticking to the whities, but this is the kind of stereotyping that the black community were experiencing themselves at the time, which leads me to believe that it may in fact be a play on this.

However, racial themes aside, this is actually a pretty enjoyable western. It doesn't break any boundaries, but it's a delightfully old- fashioned new-sheriff-in-town story, that is suitably both amusing and action-packed when it needs to be. As the Boss, Williamson employs his impressive screen presence the same way he did in Larry Cohen's Black Caesar, taking no s**t from the townsfolk, and charming the ladies. It also benefits from the fact that is had a bit of a budget, as opposed to most blaxploitation films which often looked cheap and amateurish. Good, bloodless fun, that drops more 'N' bombs than a BNP rally.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

If This is How Blaxploitation Films Work, Make Mine a Double

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 18 November 2007]

Boss (Fred Williamson) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) are bounty hunters, riding into the city of San Miguel to collect a reward when they find there's no sheriff. Boss nominates himself the new sheriff, and the reluctant mayor (who is working with the local bandits) goes along with it. Now Boss and Amos must clean up crime, defend the poor and win some women's hearts.

What's really amusing about this film is that it received a PG rating. There's some borderline nudity, and they use the N-word something like 200 times. But they never really swear otherwise, the violence is minimal by western standards and there's no sex (though it's hinted). Having seen other blaxploitation films (such as "Sweet Sweetback") I was surprised by the tameness.

They play really heavily on the race issue, not surprisingly. They even institute "black rules" as the new police, which is awesome (including banning the n-word, despite its prevalent use in this film). But the film is not derogatory to whites or blacks, really. It offers an interesting view where white people must be protected by the black man, and things work out fairly well (much to the people's initial chagrin).

Reviewer Vincent Canby of The New York Times described the film as "a pleasant surprise if you stumble upon it without warning." Canby characterized Williamson's acting as "an immensely self-assured parody of the Man With No Name played by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's films." I agree with the first part, although I think the second part might be giving this film just a little bit too much credit. But, perhaps not.

Canby finished the review by pointing out what made the film notable among black Westerns: "Most black Westerns either ignore race or make it the fundamental point of the movie. (This movie) somehow manages to do both quite successfully." And on this we agree completely -- race was both the issue and yet completely removed from the real point of the film. Which is why it works; it plays on your insecurities while convincing you they don't exist.

If you can get your hands on this one (I don't know how easy that is), I give it a very high recommendation. My only concern is that someone really needs to get a good transfer with quality picture and sound. The quality I saw was a VHS transfer with grainy footage and mediocre sound. This did nothing to take away from the brilliance of the film, but a smart action film like this one deserves better. Give me digital remastering and a Fred Williamson audio commentary.

It's be nice if this was a violent R than as a PG

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 23 August 2023]

(1974) Boss N-gger ACTION

Co-produced, written and starring Fred Williamson directed by Jack Arnold- a cross between a western and a blaxploitation he plays the title character as "Boss" imposing on a town since the mayor Griffin (R. G. Armstrong) has hard time paying him for his bounties, so he decides to take the liberty to become the sheriff of a lawless town with sidekick, Amos (D'Urville Martin). And he butt heads with savage bandits led by Jed Clayton (William Smith).

My rating might have been higher had producers allowed Boss shoot and kill more bad guys, regardless what the demographic rating might be.

Nah, doesn't work

[zetes · 5/10 · 16 November 2014]

Like a lot of blaxploitation flicks, my enthusiasm for this waned as it went on. Surely in part the inspiration for Django Unchained, Fred Williamson stars as Boss, who along with his partner Amos (D'Urville Martin) works as a bounty hunter. They give up that gig pretty quickly, though, when they arrive upon a town without a sheriff. They take over that position forcibly, and end up having to fight a gang of outlaws who terrorize the town (and have to deal with the offended white people, too). The big problem is, the protagonists are kind of jerks. Sure, we can sympathize with the fact that they are oppressed, but when they start locking up citizens for not saying hello to them, they kind of start to lose their moral superiority. It doesn't help that the DVD looked like garbage, either. Fred Williamson is still pretty bad-ass, and the title song and funky music are, as is often the case with these movies, the best thing about it.

Fred Williamson hunts the white man

[dworldeater · 8/10 · 25 April 2012]

I saw the trailer for this on you tube and I laughed for 10 minutes straight ! I decided then to purchase the DVD . I like Fred Williamson , but I have found his filmography to be hit and miss. This movie is quite enjoyable actually and delivers the goods with the action and comedy. Plus we get an awesome Shaft like theme song, while there are better westerns and black exploitation films . This is a solid b movie with a great supporting cast . D'Urville Martin is great as Boss 's sidekick. Not to mention William Smith and R.G. Armstrong are great villains . In less p.c times this was considered fun for the whole family . So round up the whole family and watch Fred Williamson stick it to the man!

Boss Ni**er (1974)

[jonahstewartvaughan · 7/10 · 13 January 2024]

Cult Cuts Volume 49 (Return to the Video Store: The Undefined Part Two)

#2/4: Boss Ni**er (1974)

(7/10): Alrighty here, Screw if it's appropriate in this day and age or not, view it through the lens of someone from that era, that and learn to have a sense of humour, after all this was written by the lead actor, who was a person of color.

Boss, as I'm going to address it from this point on in this review is a film about a black bounty hunter, who is known as Boss, in the old west and his partner Amos.

They find the bounty for a notorious outlaw which leads them to a small town populated by white folk who have no officer of law, they soon find out that the mayor has been bending over backwards for this felon as he has a huge amount of power that can easily overpower the town if he doesn't comply. Boss doesn't like this and makes a deal with the mayor that he will keep quiet about his questionable actions to the townspeople if he signs the bounty on this outlaw after he brings him to justice. Boss and his partner do not necessarily have the red carpet rolled out for them though, as many of the townspeople are not too fond of their presence and are even more opposed by the idea of Boss declaring himself the new town sheriff.

One day, Boss notices some of the men who work with this outlaw come into town and he stands up to them, killing some, arresting one but, one gets away. Now the people are really not happy with them as they are going to be bringing trouble to the town, however Boss insists upon staying and him and Amos begin implementing their own laws, one being that if one calls them a ni**er they are going behind bars for a couple nights unless they pay a fine.

They eventually start winning over some of the people with selfless acts of kindness and compassion but, word of their rebellious acts make it to the notorious outlaw who then starts to retaliate causing death and destruction, which then leads Boss to have to fight back twice as hard if he wants to save this town from living under the influence of this felon once and for all.

So I probably made it sound more serious than it actually is but, I do stand by the fact that it does not take itself that seriously, I mean the title says it all.

Boss, if you haven't guessed by the real title is a blaxploitation western both written and fronted by the great Fred "The Hammer" Williamson.

It is also directed by influential Science Fiction Director, Jack Arnold, who gained notoriety in the fifties with films like Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man and It Came From Outer Space.

Is it a masterpiece, no, but is it a good time, most definitely, but you gotta be in the right mind space for it.

With some pretty good humorous scenes of the swap in power dynamics between the races, even if it does get old, the rest of the film is engaging enough to make up for the tired humour by the final act.

The film has a catchy and very soul/blaxploition sounding theme song that sets the tone very well in the beginning.

The charisma and screen presence of Williamson is also a notable aspect that makes it a compelling watch, he takes on this kind of lone wanderer, straight to the point and even sometimes mysterious figure, which is most apparent in the beginning and end of the film. It's not anything new, aside from the race swap. It feels very similar to Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars but, despite its copy/paste western character tropes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it and also if it's done well enough then it's perfectly fine, especially when the film doesn't demand an overly complex story.

I do want to mention that also the chemistry between Fred Williamson and D'Urville Martin as Boss and Amos, respectively, is actually quite good, Amos serves as a less hardened character foil to juxtapose the more rough Boss.

The scenery is quite nice, exquisite desert mountains and well constructed wooden taverns, farmhouses and sheds accompanied by some solid costume design that really, production value wise, sells the film quite well and frankly looks much better than you might expect from a film of this kind.

The story and character development are there and are better than you would expect given the tone of the film, but it's still not the primary focus. However the story and characters do take a bit more of a step in the forefront as it gets into the final act; The death of a Child, near death of Amos, the kidnapping of the love interest, the one man sacrifice of Boss going into enemy territory, etc. It does begin to focus on more human aspects of the story and does so sufficiently.

Finally, we have the action. This is what keeps the film from going off the rails in the end, the explosive final battle between Boss, Amos and the Townspeople versus the huge group of convicts led by the film's villain is a great one, and it's still got the action sequences sprinkled throughout the film that are also very well done as well.

Overall I do think that people should just watch something like this for what it is. However I also acknowledge that it's not going to be something that just anyone can pop on and enjoy as, they can't really get past that title and frankly, that's the deciding factor on whether or not they want to see it. I still wanted to cover it because one, it's part of the inspiration for Django Unchained but secondly and more importantly, to remind people that, YEAH THIS EXISTS.

Good film!

[panzerman47 · 5/10 · 20 October 2008]

I watched this movie the other day. Sound was a bit poor but otherwise the film was in good shape.

A blaxploitation-western mix? Surely this could not be good?

But to my surprise it was!

Certainly, the acting was utterly hammy but that is to be expected in both blaxploitation and in westerns so in that aspect it is in no way a bad thing.

The plot is definitely not the worst one I've come across in any genre and the character's motivations generally fit in quite nicely.

Admittedly, the Blacksmith and was a bit underdeveloped.

The actors do their jobs decently, the fight scenes are lively and the music is catch as can be.

No major complaints from me.

A Blaxploitation ripoff of "Blazing Saddles"

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 7 May 2009]

I am amazed at how positive some of the reviews are for this barely mediocre Baxploitation Western--especially considering it seems like a ripoff of "Blazing Saddles" (made in 1974). The plot involves two Black bounty hunters with attitude who arrive in town and take over the job of sheriff and deputy. Unlike "Blazing Saddles", this film isn't all comedy but a sort of hybrid action-comedy picture. However, the comedy isn't all that funny (D'Urville Martin can't carry this off by himself) and the action isn't as good as most of the star's (Fred Williamson) other films. Another major problem is that while having an anachronistic sheriff in the Mel Brooks film worked, here it just feels like "Black Caesar" stuck on the range--a very odd and unconvincing switch to say the least. It's more like wish fulfillment than anything you might have really seen in the West.

So let's say that you ignore how ridiculous the story is. In this case, is the film worth seeing? Well, yes and no. It certainly isn't brilliantly made nor does it make the case that there should have been more Black Westerns and some of the plot is pretty silly. On the other hand the film is rather fun to watch if you are looking to see a bunch of angry racist Whites get theirs--but this just isn't enough of a payoff to recommend the film. Overall, undemanding and silly. Not really so much bad,...just not very good.

FYI--When you try to use the title of the film in the review, it is prohibited by IMDb. I am not upset by this, but not mentioning the title of a film in the review can be a tad difficult!

The Boss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zombizombizombi · 8/10 · 31 May 2007]

I love it I saw the trailer on a DVD I have 42 street forever and had to get this its a great blaxploitation/exploitation movie the DVD sucks and hopefully someday someone will put out a proper DVD.The story is about two black bounty hunters that take over a whit town with out a sheriff .The white folks are not happy Fred Williamson's character as the boss rocks he is so the boss ni**ger I will not spoil this do find it and yes like I said the DVD is not good the transfer is just OK bad color not framed correctly its put in full frame and is taken from a VHS master and put on DVD I will say this tho with the bad transfer it does give you that grind house feel my score a 8 its funny as hell!!!!!!!!!

A disturbingly racist movie, but I get the point.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 18 January 2022]

A couple of bandits in the old west get shot in the foot, and hero Fred Williamson gets shot in the hand and then tied to a tree. Along with his Lou Costello like sidekick, D'Urville Martin, he's a bounty hunter who by default becomes sheriff in an all-white town, basically blackmailing them into getting the position, and then they are both set up for execution where it's up to the very silly Martin to rescue him. I can just imagine on the set for Williamson having to remind the mostly white cast that a certain curse word was a part of the script and necessary to show the racism of the theme. R. G. Armstrong is the uppity mayor, William Smith as the bandit Williamson is after. Carmen Hayward as a pretty young black woman who uses her femininity to get Williamson out of his jams and Barbara Leigh as a sophisticated white woman in town who discovers she has a thing for black men.

Made after Cleavon Little played the sheriff in "Blazing Saddles" and around the same time as another blaxploitation western (the awful "Adios Amigo"), this is disturbing in many ways, and the n word flies more than bullets here. Martin's character is too much of a buffoon to really root for, Austin getting Williamson, the smarter of the two, in trouble. He is very funny though when he has to imitate something that he learned from his former owner when he was a slave, basically imitating the pompousness of wealthy white men and getting one of the few genuine laughs in the film. It just never really knows what it wants to be, a western action film with light comedy or a message movie, and that makes it difficult to completely like.

Surprising decent Blaxploitation/Grandfather to Django Unchained

[irishboy141 · 9/10 · 25 October 2018]

This was way better than I expected it to be. Fred Williamson is wonderful and badass, and his sidekick is great too. The characters are believable and the situation is interesting and entertaining.

The film does have the typical Blaxploitation problem of having a bad ending. one dimensional villains and supporting characters who don't go anywhere (the blacksmith character).

But the film itself is well made and entertaining. give it a watch if you like the genre.

He was the boss.

[Samoan Bob · 29 March 2003]

Fred Williamson and D'urville Martin are two black bounty hunters that stumble into a town that is sorely in need of a sheriff. So what do they do? Why make themselves the sheriff and deputy of course. Now we know the white folk won't take a liking to that, especially the local bandit (played by William Smith) and his gang a' crackers. Not particularly distinguished from the blaxploitation Western sub-sub genre and not nearly as wild as the name suggests, 'Boss N!gger' is still good fun with a lot of humor (supplied mostly by Martin) and well-directed action scenes.

Fred Williamson is the boss!

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 15 November 2016]

Rugged bounty hunter Boss (the always cool Fred Williamson, who also wrote the smart script) and his easygoing partner Amos (a very funny and amiable portrayal by D'Urville Martin) pursue notorious outlaw Jed Clayton (the legendary Big Bill Smith in peak curvy form) into the small town of San Miguel. Boss decides to become sheriff after he finds out that the town doesn't have one.

Director Jack Arnold keeps the immensely entertaining story moving at a brisk pace, milks plenty of laughs from the blithely cheeky sense of humor, maintains an affable lighthearted tone throughout, and stages the exciting shoot outs and thrilling rough'n'tumble fisticuffs with skill and gusto. Moreover, this film deserves extra praise for tackling the issue of racism head on; it's a total treat to see two bold black guys put a bunch of hateful white bigots in their place. Williamson and Martin display a natural and engaging chemistry in the lead roles, with sound support from R.G. Armstrong as the slimy Mayor Griffin, Barbara Leigh as kindly school teacher Miss Pruitt, Carmen Hayward as the sweet Clara Mae, and Ben Zeller as a friendly blacksmith. Leon Moore's funky-throbbing score hits the right-on groovy spot. Robert Caramico's crisp widescreen cinematography provides a pleasing bright look. A really on the money movie.

Fred Williamson and D'Urville Martin make a fine team in Boss N!gger

[tavm · 8/10 · 11 February 2012]

Just watched this on YouTube. It stars Fred Williamson-the title character-(who was also writer and co-producer with director Jack Arnold) and D'Urville Martin-Amos-as bounty hunters who are looking for a Jed Clayton (William Smith) in the town they encounter. Mayor Griffin (R.G. Armstrong) tells them Jed's not due to arrive in a few days so they wait and make themselves sheriff and deputy since the town hasn't had either for a while. There's actually more to it than that but I'll just now say how much I highly enjoyed this movie. I mean, it's got some funny scenes and lines mostly courtesy of Martin and both a fine white chick (Barbara Leigh as schoolmarm Miss Pruitt) and a fine black one (Carmen Hayworth as Clara Mae). In fact, when the latter's silently told by Amos to do some seductive moves on one of Boss' capturers, they're so hot that they're a distraction which Amos later acknowledges after delaying knocking him out! And the fights between Williamson and Smith were among the coolest I've seen and heard in a movie with the way the punches just flew! And despite the very provocative title, I loved the title song with music and lyrics by Leon Moore & Tom Nixon as sung by Terrible Tom. And besides Miss Pruitt, it was nice to know that the blacksmith (Ben Zeller) and the doctor were the other Caucasians giving support to the sheriff. So on that note, I highly recommend Boss N!gger.

So-so blaxploitation western which unsuccessfully blends comedy and action.

[Infofreak · 19 May 2003]

Fred Williamson was one of the greatest of the 1970s blaxploitation stars, but as cool as he is, he can't make this one anything more than very average. Williamson and frequent co-star D'urville Martin ('Dolemite') play bounty hunters on the trail of no-good varmint William Smith ('Invasion Of The Bee Girls', 'The Ultimate Warrior', 'Maniac Cop') who bully the mayor of a small town (Peckinpah regular R.G. Armstrong) into letting them become sheriff and deputy. They make sport of the uptight white townsfolk, grab as much cash as they can, and wait for an opportunity to get their man. 'Boss N*gger' can't decide whether it wants to be a serious western or a spoof of the genre, and the comedy is broad, recycles much of the Cleavon Little schtick from Mel Brooks' 'Blazing Saddles', and is basically just not that funny. But when it takes the material seriously it shows promise, and seeing Fred Williamson battle b-grade legend William Smith is worth the rental. Williamson scripted as well as starred, and would have been better advised not to. It's the lame script that really lets this one down. The cast is good, and the direction, by 1950s monster movie favourite Jack Arnold, is strong enough. Williamson's charisma keeps this afloat, but to be honest, it's nothing special.

If you took all the jokes out of blazing saddles...

[The_Light_Triton · 9/10 · 4 February 2014]

Then this might be what you get in return.

Boss Negro (I'll use the politically correct term for this review) is the story of 2 African American slaves turned bounty hunters, named Boss and Amos. Fresh off their hate for white people, They ride into a white town hoping to collect rewards for some bounties they've killed. However, the position of sheriff in the town is available and Boss takes it, and implements new laws, such as a 20$ fine for using the well-known derogatory term for an African American, and a bunch of other laws.

Western movies are a dime a dozen, but there has rarely been a movie where the town's sheriff was a black man. I think Boss Negro does it very well, and it's worth a view.

9/10

Best Intro Song Ever.

[DavyDissonance · 8/10 · 1 August 2019]

Two bounty hunters roll into town to claim a bounty on some guy named Jed. Boss N#gger is a hybrid of western and blaxploitation which is an odd combination. Soul music in a western. Sheesh! I enjoyed this one because of its political incorrectness, Fred Williamson, action and some of its clever dialogue. However, Boss N#gger suffers from a bland story, some pacing issues and it's lacking intentional comedic tone. It's funny, yes, but for all the wrong reasons. It sucks movies like this are hardly ever made anymore because of social justice stupidity and pseudo self righteous narcissists but whatever. I love this movie because it offends these liberal parasites.

Entertaining genre crossover heavily tipped towards the blaxploitation end

[chaos-rampant · 23 January 2009]

Boss N#gger is definitely not a prime sample of either western or blaxploitation but it's a genre crossover I'm glad happened because if it didn't happen back in the day it probably wouldn't ever. Perhaps the biggest problem in the movie is Fred Williamson's script, which bears all the marks of an inexperienced writer: too much exposition, flat characterization, scenes that seem to exist only to take the plot from point A to point B. Well, I guess few people are going to see a movie called "Boss N#gger" for its story, but it's details like these that make the difference between Coffy and the multitude of forgettable blaxploits of the early seventies. Williamson's script but be throwaway but when he dons his black cowboy hat and cheroot and transforms into black bounty-hunter Boss, he's as badass as he's ever been. Along with his associate D'Urville Martin ("Sheba Baby", "Dolemite", "Black Caesar") they rescue a black girl from the clutches of bandits before riding into a lawless town terrorized by a gang of cutthroats. He elects himself sheriff and rails against the corrupt mayor of the town and all the bigotry around him. Boss N#gger's seems to exist for no other reason than sticking it to "the man" and in that aspect the balance is heavily tipped towards the blaxploitation end of the equation. This is a blaxploit movie that only happens to take place in the old west. It's still a fairly entertaining diversion with quotable dialogue and all the amusing shenanigans one can expect from having a black sheriff in a town filled with white bigots. A kid is ridden down in slow motion, Williamson says things like "we've got some more whities to catch" and "Mayor, have somebody clean up ma office", D'Urville locks up the bank president for tearing up a note and when the mayor demands he's released he locks him up too for disturbing the peace. What starts as a funky, frolicking action western becomes a lot more violent in the final third and ends on quite a downbeat tone that comes eerily close to Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence. Jack Arnold ("Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Incredible Shrinking Man") directs.