The Human Tornado

Director - Cliff Roquemore (Petey Wheatstraw)
Starring - Rudy Ray Moore (Dolemite), Lady Reed (Disco Godfather), and Jimmy Lynch (Highway 61)
Release Date - 1976
Genre - Action/Blaxploitation
Tagline - "I want you at this theater to whip up a storm"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When it comes to blaxploitation there is several names that quickly come to mind.  Most people quickly think of Pam Grier while others think of Fred "The Hammer" Williamson.  Both are icons in the sub-genre but I always think of Rudy Ray Moore before everyone else.  Though I had never seen one of his blaxploitation flicks until now, his name has always popped up in conversation.  His films would shape the following blaxploitation films and would later go on to define the entire sub-genre.  After reviewing Vinegar Syndromes release of Dolemite it was only logical to follow that up with a review of the film's sequel, The Human Tornado.  The film was recently put out my Vin Syn and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy.  

     The film follows Dolemite (Moore) who has been practicing his kung-fu and honing his skills.  Skills that he is soon able to put to good use when a party at his home is wrecked by the local white sheriff and his band of racist goons.  Dolemite and his gang are able to escape where they steal a car owned by a homosexual and forced him to drive them to California.  He meets up with Queen Bee and their club quickly becomes the most popular in town.  The owner of another club, a white mobster, wants Dolemite and Queen Bee out of the picture.  Soon there is a war between Dolemite and the white gangster.  To make matters worse, the sheriff from Alabama has tracked Dolemite down and is now helping the white mobster.
     Blaxploitation is almost as important to me as horror.  The films are always fun even if they are bad.  The wardrobe sets the films for me and the dialogue closes the deal.  I love the lingo used and the rhymes used in casual conversation.  I also love the stories and the addition of kung-fu to every situation.  Dolemite was the textbook example of this and I hoped The Human Tornado would be just as fun.  For the most part it was but it was not the same quality as Dolemite.  The acting in this one is fun.  Moore once again shows why he is the face of the blaxploitation sub-genre.  His rhymes are on point, his charisma is at an all time high, and he still lacks any kind of martial arts skills to make it believable.  That's what makes these films so fun and Moore captures that perfectly.  The supporting cast does a decent job and we even have an early role from Ernie Hudson but Moore is once again the star of the show and he shines like a mother fucker.  The story for this one is more or less the same as the first.  Dolemite and his crew fight thugs to keep their clubs and hoes going.  They changed the main villain and made him white which works for the race angle and adds a little humor to the flick.  Other than that, the story doesn't offer up anything different but is still fun.  Finally, the action in this one is kind of stale.  Instead of the goofy fight scenes that can be found in the first film, this one kind of skips on it.  Instead, they opted for more gun fights and shoot outs.  These were fun for a brief period of time but quickly got old.  Overall, The Human Tornado is a solid sequel and another great entry in the blaxploitation sub-genre.  The film may no be that original but it still hits the sweet spot.  Be sure to check it out on blu from Vinegar Syndrome!