Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

Director - Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I)

Starring - Tony Todd (Candyman, Night of the Living Dead), Kelly Rowan (The Gate, Hook), and Caroline Barclay (Species, American Gothic)

Release Date - 1995

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Evil comes when you call his name"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     I spent a great deal of my time in Dewey's Video.  It was my local video store and it was my mecca.  I was there every couple of days and always on Friday to rent a few Sega Genesis games and a stack of VHS.  I fucking loved walking up and down the aisles searching for the movies that I would be taking home for the night or weekend.  When you entered his shop and took a hard right you walked passed his bead covered doorway to his adult films and into a room full of sci-fi and horror films.  I spent a lot of time in that corner of the store and remember how amazing the artwork was for most of the horror titles.  One that stuck out to me was the bee comb artwork for Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh.  It was so simple yet pulled me in.  I had watched the first film several times but never the second so I rented it that weekend with a few other genre titles.  I remember really loving the film and when I was in college I finally snagged my first copy of the film on DVD.  Honestly, I haven't watched it since college and while I was preparing for my review of Candyman: Day of the Dead I decided to revisit the trilogy.  I immediately spun Farewell to the Flesh after the first film.

     The film follows a teacher in New Orleans who is given word that her brother was arrested for murder.  Their father was murdered several years before and it has went unsolved.  Her brother is obsessed with the lore of Candyman and when his sister discovers that her brother suspects Candyman she uncovers the truth about her family heritage and their ties to the Candyman.  

     Farewell to the Flesh is not as good as the original film but it's still a fantastic follow up.  I love the cast, the location, the expansion of the backstory, and the deaths.  It's one of the few sequels that are almost as good as the original source and leaves a lot on the table for future installments.  I like the acting in this one more than the first installment.  Todd once again knocks it out of the park as Candyman but this time the female lead, Kelly Rowan, is a better female protagonist than Madsen was in the first film.  Her emotions are genuine and she is able to carry the film better as well.  I really enjoyed the character she portrayed.  The supporting cast is just as great with just as many memorable performances as the first.  The story for this one takes the move from Chicago to New Orleans to further explore the back story to Daniel Robitaille and how he was cursed to become Candyman.  It's a much bigger look into it and tying it to the characters in the film makes it have an even bigger impact.  Slavery and how the white slave owners treated freed blacks is still a major point of the story but it's not as weighted as it was in the previous film.  Finally, the film turns it up a notch with the deaths.  We get some deaths with a little more imagination and creative effects.  I really enjoyed them this go around and they do stand out while fitting in with the theme of Candyman.  The effects are great which really solidifies the character as a 90s slasher icon.  Overall, Farewell to the Flesh is a great follow up to an amazing film.  It's a prime example that not all 90s horror was bad.  I highly recommend this one especially if you plan on revisiting the first film.  

Candyman

Director - Bernard Rose (Snuff-Movie, Paperhouse)

Starring - Virginia Madsen (Dune, Swamp Thing), Tony Todd (Night of the Living Dead, The Crow), and Kasi Lemmons (The Silence of the Lambs, Vampire's Kiss)

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "We dare you to say his name five times"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When it comes to 90s horror there is several titans that battle to be the face for the decade that typically draws scorn from the dedicated genre fans.  Honestly, I'm guilty of dragging 90s films through the mud but I do enjoy a fair deal of films from this decade.   Franchises like Leprechaun, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Tremors, and Candyman and iconic now and perfect examples that horror from the 90s should not be overlooked.  While Scream is probably the most popular franchise of them all I would admittedly say that it's one I don't care for with Leprechaun and Candyman being my favorite overall franchises.  Candyman and it's two sequels are films I remember renting often from my local video store.  I had a lot of fun with it and couldn't wait to revisit it.  When Vestron Video sent over Candyman: Day of the Dead to review I decided to this was the perfect time to revisit the trilogy.  

     The film follows Helen Lyle (Madsen) who is writing a thesis on local legends and finds herself going down the rabbit hole surrounding the Candyman.  Her investigation into Candyman lands her in the slums at Cabrini Green where she learns the backstory about Candyman and who he was.  After saying his name five times like legend suggests, she finds herself at the center of a nightmare that she can't seem to wake.

     The first Candyman film is a fucking horror masterpiece.  It blends urban horror, urban legends, and blaxploitation together to create something that I can argue was not done until this Clive Barker penned story was adapted into film.  Sure, blaxploitation dabbled in horror during it's infancy but nothing this dark and bleak was ever produced during blaxploitation's heyday.  Most of the blaxploitation's horror attempts were usually parodies of specific films and covered in the humor that made the films so much fun.  Candyman is no such film.  It's a movie that spawned in an entire sub-genre of urban based horror that filled video store shelves in the early to mid-90s.  The acting in this one is a lot of fun.  Tony Todd will always be Ben from the Night of the Living Dead remake to me but he will live in infamy as the iconic Candyman.  Hearing him deliver his dialogue while slowly stalking his victim still sends chills down my spine regardless of how many times I've seen it.  His performance is iconic for a reason and no one could have pulled off this character like he does.  The new installment does a decent enough job but it doesn't have the impact that Todd's performance does.  The supporting cast is great with a lot of stand out performances and colorful characters to make the film have more depth than it does.  Virginia Madsen always felt underwhelming in this one to me and still feels that way after revisiting it.  Her panic and distressed scenes always made me laugh and this go around it just felt forced and awkward.  The story for this one does more than explore an urban legend.  It shows the struggles that many struggling families, mostly minorities, go through in slums in the inner city projects.  It's social commentary on city live in the early 90s still resonates all these years later.  You then have the backstory centered around slavery and the mutilation and murder of a free black man by wealthy white people.  You center a supernatural slasher in the middle of all this and you have yourself a film that is unlike anything at the video store before it.  Finally, the film has plenty of bloody deaths with some great practical effects.  We get some awesome props, make-up effects, and the deaths fit in with the film fucking perfectly.  It's not that gory but the deaths work well for the film and add another layer of enjoyment to an already enjoyable film.  Overall, Candyman is a fucking iconic film and a testimony that not all 90s horror films suck.  I highly recommend this classic if you haven't seen it before.  

     

Treasure of the Ninja

Director - William Lee (Dragon vs. Ninja, Demons Rising)

Starring - William Lee, Gary Burton, and John H. Howenstine

Release Date - 1987

Genre - Action/Crime

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     By now most of you may have noticed that I have a love for blaxploitation cinema.  I stumbled across blaxploitation when I was a kid and my dad bought some VHS tapes from a random guy at a gas station.  He needed gas money and sold my dad a box of tapes dirt cheap.  In the box was Truck Turner stashed away with other films that you would expect to find in a dusty VHS bin.  Soon I was renting what few the video store had and snagging them up when I would find them in the wild.  A few days ago it was announced that legendary blaxploitation filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles had passed away.  I wanted to watch one of his films but decided to pay tribute to him in another fashion so I decided to check out Treasure of the Ninja.  This 1987 martial arts action flick was directed by and starred William Lee who owed a lot the late Peebles for paving the way for him.  Treasure of the Ninja was recently released on Blu by AGFA and Bleeding Skull.  I had never seen it before but I fucking love what AGFA has been doing so I couldn't wait to check it out.  

     The film follows secret agent and martial arts master Faze (Lee) who is tasked with protecting a scientist as she searches for the lost treasure of the ninja.  However, an evil businessman and his henchmen are searching for the treasure as well forcing Faze to kick, karate chop, and punch his way through a ninja horde and an ancient ninja cursed with protecting the treasure.  

     I absolutely adore no budget backyard DIY movies.  A good portion of my time is spent reviewing horror movies made on spare change in someone's basement.  I can appreciate the hard work that goes into finishing a film even though you lacked experience and a budget.  They are fun for the most part and even though I don't like them all I still respect the hard work that everyone put into it.  I was not a fan of Treasure of the Ninja.  The flow and pacing was off and from scene to scene was so choppy that I found myself getting lost.  There is no consistency at all but knowing that Lee was doing everything behind the scenes, as well as, acting made me greatly admire this man and dedication.  The acting in this one leaves a lot to be desired.  As I stated earlier, I've seen movies made by teenagers in their backyard using only ketchup and and their smartphone so I've seen amateur and understand it.  The cast really does go all in on their roles but their inexperience shines here.  Their dialogue is very heavy with no emotion behind it with most of the scenes being extremely awkward to watch.  The story for this one isn't blaxploitation in a traditional sense.  It does had blaxploitation elements tossed in but the film itself is mostly a martial arts action flick with cliched characters and a lot of action.  The fight scenes are surprisingly well done and a few had me actually rewinding to see if he really knocked some poor mother fucker out.  With that being said, the awkward scenes with heavy dialogue and no action made this film feel like it was a lot longer that it actually was.  Hell, I was barely 30 minutes in and thought, or hoped, it was almost over.  Finally, don't expect a bloodfest with this one.  We get some smooth choreographed fight scenes and thats about it.  Overall, Treasure of the Ninja has a lot of heart and knowing how much time and effort went into this I feel like shit for not liking it.  It was extremely dull for the most part.  The action scenes were fun but the overall film was difficult for me to finish.  The blu release from AGFA and Bleeding Skull looks absolutely fantastic and the special features with it makes it a must own for fans of weird and amateur films.  

Death Ranch

Director - Charlie Steeds (The Barge People, Escape from Cannibal Farm)

Starring - Deiondra Teagle (Painted in Blood), Faith Monique (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Zero), and Travis Cutner (MacGyver, Spooked)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "The family that slays together, stays together"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Most of you have heard this before but I always feel the need to reiterate how much I fucking love blaxploitation flicks.  When I was younger my dad bought a few tapes from someone in a parking lot on our way to visit my brother.  The guy hawking the tapes was clearly "medicated" and I begged my dad to buy the tapes.  In them was several blaxploitation flicks.  Once I got big into those films Snoop Dogg released his blaxploitation horror flick Bones which only fueled my love for the sub-genre.  Over the years I've reviewed a couple dozen blaxploitation flicks and I've loved every minute of it.  A few weeks ago I received the press release for Charlie Steeds' Death Ranch.  The trailer looked absolutely fucking mental so I reached out for a review copy.  

     The film is set in the early 70s when Brandon (Teagle) escapes from jail.  He meets up with his brother and sister  and the three visit their families abandoned farm deep in the mountains of Tennessee to hide out. What they don't expect to see is a clan of cannibalistic KKK members who prey on people of color.

     Death Ranch was everything I wanted it to be after watching the trailer.  It was extremely bloody and violent with a great blaxploitat meets hixploitation tone.  I absolutely loved it and I can't wait for others to enjoy it as well.  The acting in this one is fun but there is plenty of room for improvement.  Teagle and Monique are the stars of the show and they both deliver fantastic performances.  Their characters are very grounded and real with both really giving the film their all.  The supporting cast is fun to watch with all the faceless KKK members dying but no one shares the screen as long as these two do.  The story for this one is a brilliant mixing of blaxploitation meets hixploitation.  Racism finds it's end with the story and the set up is absolutely brilliant.  The story does start out a bit slow but once it picks up it holds a steady pace of bloody action and social justice.  I couldn't have watched this story unfold over the course of three of four hours in all honesty.  Finally, the film is extremely bloody and action packed.  The kills we get do not shy away from the red stuff and fit the style of the film perfectly. A good portion of the deaths we get are the results of various gunshots.  The squibs look great and the amount of blood we get is almost comical.  I absolutely loved the look of these kills.  Not to be too repetitive, we do get some other kills using various tools found around an old farm.  These kills are just as bloody and the practical effects make them even more entertaining.  Overall, Death Ranch is absolutely fantastic.  Fans of old school horror and exploitation will want to spin this one.  It's bloody and combines some of my favorite exploitation sub-genres to create something that not only fits the social commentary of the early 70s but today as well.  I highly recommend it.  

Bones

Director - Ernest R. Dickerson (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Surviving the Game)
Starring - Snoop Dogg (The Addams Family, Hood of Horror), Khalil Kain (Baadasssss!, CSI: Miami), and Merwin Mondesir (Grave Encounters, Godsend)
Release Date - 2001
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Unleash the Dogg"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in middle school I was coming into my own as a rock and metal fan while my best friend was a rap and pop fan.  He would let me torture him with Black Sabbath, Lamb of God, and so on while I would listen to Wu-Tang, Bone Thugs, and so on.  Honestly, I really enjoyed the old late 80s and 90s rap and hip hop so I wasn't suffering.  It was around this time that Snoop Dogg starred in the horror film Bones.  My friend was obviously a Snoop fan and I loved horror so we begged his mom and dad to take us to pick up the movie when it was released.  We couldn't find it on DVD so we settled on the VHS release.  My friend didn't care for the movie after we started watching it but I really liked it.  I would watch it several times over the years but the last decade I have not.  Recently Scream Factory released the film on blu and I figured now would be the perfect time to revisit it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a group of up and coming DJs and their manager who purchase an abandoned building that was once the home to Jimmy Bones (Dogg) in the 70s.  He was murdered by a pimp, cop, and his best friend when he refused to sell drugs to the people on his block and they hid his body in the basement.  The group want to fix the building up and turn it into a club but their father's dark past comes back to haunt him and his family when they accidentally resurrect Jimmy Bones.  

     I've been revisiting a lot of movies from my elementary and middle school years.  I guess that means I'm getting old but it's cool to see movies on piss poor quality VHS and DVD get the blu treatment.  As fun as it is to revisit some of these films I'm discovering that nostalgia can't cover up a film that did not age well.  When I got Bones in to review I was excited to rewatch it after all these years but I was afraid it didn't hold it.  Most of it did but there was a few instances that made me a little embarrassed for the people involved.  The acting in this one never really sit well for me.  Snoop and Pam Grier deliver amazing performances with Snoop stealing the show.  His character is fucking fantastic and unforgettable.  With that being said, the remaining cast deliver forced performances that always made me roll my eyes.  Even now I feel somewhat embarrassed for the cast and their performances.  The story for this one is a gothic influenced blaxploitation film that works very well for a horror flick.  My love for blaxploitation really makes me a little biased but I really love how this film uses 70s urban culture before transitioning to a modern haunted house look that is heavily influenced by gothic imagery.  Honestly, I think it works but there is several instances that came across as a little too goofy for the film itself.  The overall look works for me and the story flows very well within the film.  Finally, the film has several on screen kills.  Personally, I'm a fan of the bright red blood but here it is out of place.  The kills have great practical effect but the impact of the gag is lessened by the use of the bright red blood.  With that being said, there is some horrible visual effects used that is not only goofy but it looks like shit all these years later.  Overall, Bones may not be for everyone but for those of us that appreciate horror and blaxploitation we will find entertainment in this one.  The blu looks fucking great as well.  I highly suggest picking up this blu from Scream Factory.  

Frankenthug

Director - Richard Tanner (Once Upon a Nightmare, Zombie Horror)

Starring - Soze Bagley, David Cairo, and Dante Sellers (The Goon and the Gamma Scout)

Release Date - 2017

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "Get rich...die tryin'...repeat!"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The last few days I've spent some time reviewing indie horror flicks rather than checking out some older films that recently hit blu.  I love checking out these older flicks, usually for the first time, but indie no budget flicks is my true passion.  A few days back I checked out the indie flicks Pickaxe, Death House, and Dreaming Purple Neon.  One was entertaining, one was a shit show, and the other was decent but a missed opportunity.  I wanted to follow these up with another indie flick so I tossed in the 2017 horror comedy Frankenthug that was sent my way from MVD.  Thanks MVD for sending this one over!
     The film follows a young black man who recently lost his brother to a drug war with a group of bikers.  His body is stolen by a friend, Doc, where he conducts a series of experiments hoping to bring him back.  He succeeds to an extent.  He is able to reanimate the body but he lacks reason and can only say "Gucci" over and over again.  He starts to remember how he died and sets out to kill the bikers responsible.  He is able to escape Doc's lair and it's up to Doc and his brother to catch him before the bikers are able to kill him a second time.
     I was fully prepared to go into this one and write a negative review but I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting.  The movie has some laughs and stupid moments but I enjoyed it for what it was.  The acting in this one is a little rough.  The cast was having fun and really got into their characters but their performances definitely feel forced.  Some of the characters are really fun while others are a little on the annoying side but that doesn't take away from the film.  The forced delivery does make the movie feel awkward at times but the story still progresses.  The story for this one made me think I was about to dive deep into a blaxploitation flick.  Instead, it's more of a biker movie with a reanimated corpse...and bigfoot.  I love how absurd the film is and how just when you think you have a grasp of things something else ridiculous is tossed our way.  The movie does struggle with pacing issues but all things considered it still entertains.  Finally, if you are looking for gore you wont find it here.  This no budget horror comedy relies solely on character personality and story.  The effects we get are minimal and limited but not the key point of any film.  Overall, Frankenthug is a fun horror comedy that offers up some humor with a solid enough story but the acting does fall a little flat.  If you are looking for something different during a late night movie marathon I suggest grabbing this one.  

Fighting Mad

Director - Cirio H. Santiago (The Muthers, TNT Jackson)
Starring - James Iglehart (Black Kung Fu, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Carmen Argenziano (Sudden Impact, Crazy Mama), and Leon Isaac Kennedy (Deadly Nightmares, Penitentiary)
Release Date - 1978
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "Beaten, betrayed, and bustin' loose!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Here we are.  I've now sit and watched six Blaxploitation films back to back.  It was a fun marathon but I somewhat miss horror movies.  Regardless, it was a fun marathon and I'm glad I was able to check these films out.  The last film is the set is the one I wanted to see the most.  The film, Fighting Mad aka Death Force, was one I had seen printed on shirts and posters at almost every horror or cult movie con I have visited over the years but I never came across a copy of the film until now.
          The film follows American Vietnam veteran Doug Russell (Iglehart) who is left for dead on an island where he is found by two Japanese soldiers that have lived there since World War II.  He is trained in the ways of the samurai and is very deadly with a samurai sword.  When he is able to escape the island he finds himself back with his wife and child but his troubles are far from over.  Those that left him for dead has been terrorizes his wife and child and now he must put his new deadly skills to use.

    I couldn't wait to check out the blaxploitation with the main protagonist carried a samurai sword.  It looked like a movie that I would rewatch over and over again until I became sick of it.  However, this film was not as fun as I was hoping for and it left me struggling to finish it.  It did pick up in the third act but that couldn't save it or make it as great as I had hoped.  The acting in this one is surprisingly well done.  I was expecting a mid-grade performance from the cast but this cast really went into this one with their all and it shows.  The cast and the characters are more grounded than other blaxploitation flicks but it works for the more serious tone the film establishes.  The story for this one is my biggest hang up.  The first half of the film is painfully slow to watch.  It makes use of the slow build up with character development but that doesn't improve the quality of the film.  Once we find Doug off the island the film picks up drastically. The movie becomes way more enjoyable.  Finally, this film is not as bloody as one would expect a film using a samurai sword to be.  The kills are extremely lackluster and the blood is pretty minimal.  Overall, Fighting Mad is the biggest disappointment in this set.  Sure, the film is still enjoyable but it could have been so much more.

The Black Godfather

Director - John Evans (Speeding Up Time, Blackjack)
Starring - Rod Perry (The Black Gestapo, Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Damu King (Black Samson, Black Starlet), and Don Chastain (The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Maude)
Release Date - 1974
Genre - Crime
Tagline - "There's a new godfather in town"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      

     My blaxploitation marathon is almost to a close.  When I started watching the six films in the Soul Team Six set from Mill Creek Entertainment I was under the impression that I had only seen one film in this set prior to receiving it for review.  The Black Gestapo is one I knew I had seen before but after tossing in the fifth film in the set, 1974's The Black Godfather, I quickly realized that this was one I had viewed years before.  Once I realized what film this was I was pretty fucking excited to revisit it.  

     The film follows petty thief JJ (Perry) who was shot while trying to rob someone.  He was found by the Black Godfather and he patches him up.  He offers him a job and JJ works his way up the ranks for the Black Godfather.  Once JJ reaches a certain point he decides to use his power with the Black Godfather to get his streets clean.  He is able to cut all the drug dealers out of his neighborhood except for on heroine dealer named Tony Burton (Chastain).  Burton refuses to leave and wages a war with JJ and the Black Godfather.  Much like a cornered animal, when JJ has Burton cornered he fights back killing the Black Godfather taking the war down a much darker path.  

     I watched this one many years ago when I first started collecting Blaxploitation on DVD.  I found a box set on Amazon and ordered it.  I remember really enjoying this one then and it was just as fun revisiting it.  The acting in this one is pretty standard Blaxploitation fair.  The characters are extremely animated but the cast does a fantastic job and holding the scenes.  The story for this one is another textbook example of Blaxploitation.  We follow a strong black lead fighting the evil white men who are pushing drugs and destroying black lives.  The film has solid pacing but does suffer from long spells of boring dialogue that seemingly has nothing to do with the story itself.  Character development is an issue here as well with most of the supporting cast just appearing with no explanation why.  Maybe the scenes explaining this are on the cutting room floor.  Finally, the film, like most Blaxploitation flicks, has several gun fights and kills from gun wounds.  No real bloodshed and gore for those looking for it but we do get more cheesy fight scenes that are always fun.  Overall, The Black Godfather is a must for exploitation and blaxploitation fans just like many of the films in this set.  

Black Fist

Director(s) - Timothy Galfas (Night Gallery, Maneaters are Loose!) and Richard Kaye
Starring - Richard Lawson (Poltergeist, Sugar Hill), Annazette Chase (Truck Turner, The Mack), Philip Michael Thomas (The Wizard of Speed and Time, Wonder Woman)
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "You know where he's comin' from"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Horror fans in various Facebook groups often ask me and other blaxploitation fans why we like those films so much. This is a question I have asked myself hundreds of times and I usually come back to the characters and the fight sequences.  The cheesy fight sequences and larger than life characters always draw me in.  As I work my way through the Soul Team Six box set I find myself looking at the next film in the set which is centered around a street fighter.  The film, Black Fist, was released under the title Bogard in 1975 but the title wasn't black enough so it was retitled Black Fist to better fall in line with the Blaxploitation craze. 

     The film follows Leroy Fisk (Lawson) who becomes a popular street fights for a mobster.  When he makes a name for himself and starts drawing in huge paydays the mobster schemes with a cop to shake him down for money in order to earn back some of the profits Leroy was earning.  Leroy figures out he is being shaken down and wants out of the game.  He wins a big fight and takes the money to buy a club.  This angers the mobster and they put a hit out on Leroy but mistakenly kill his pregnant wife instead.  Now Leroy is pissed and will stop at nothing to kill the ones responsible for taking his bride and unborn from him.

     I was hoping to get a blaxploitation flick with some heavy fighting and fun characters and Black Fist delivered.  The film was action heavy and the story was not 100% predictable like many others.  The acting in this one is better than most but still plenty of room for improvement.  The characters are all fun, including the mobsters, but there is a few scenes that are pretty heavy that just don't have the impact one would think due to the casts' reactions.  The story for this one is the textbook definition of Blaxploitation.  Plenty of fighting, evil white mobsters, and a black character getting wronged before turning into a war machine.  The film does have a few slower scenes but the story is strong enough to hold the viewer's attention through these.  Finally, this is not a death heavy film.  The focus of this one is the fight scenes which are far from perfect.  They are prime example of 70s exploitation fight sequences and I fucking love it.  Overall, Black Fist is not a perfect film but it's a damn near perfect Blaxploitation flick.  It has action and some extremely entertaining characters.  Check it out.  

Black Brigade

Director - George McCowan (Frogs, The Manhunter)
Starring - Stephen Boyd (Fantastic Voyage, Lady Dracula), Robert Hooks (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, The Flash), Susan Oliver (Star Trek, Freddy's Nightmares)
Release Date - War
Tagline - "In war, sometimes the enemy comes from within"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Blaxploitation can go so many different ways but the most popular follows a black protagonist who is fighting an evil white person or group due to a number of various reasons.  However, that is not the only type of blaxploitation.  Sometimes you get a really powerful drama that focuses on the struggles that the African American citizens face on a daily basis in the 70s that can still be seen to this day.  Case in point is the 1970 war drama Black Brigade which was a made for TV film released under the name Carter's Army.  This unusual blaxploitation flick stars a very young Richard Pryor, Bill Dee Williams, and Stephen Boyd.  

     The film follows Captain Carter (Boyd) who is tasked with securing a dam in Germany in World War II.  He is assigned to an all black unit and is ordered to take 6 men with him to secure the dam.  He enlists the lieutenant and 5 of his men.  The captain is racist and believes this group is going to get him killed but through their journey he countlessly puts their lives in danger and they save him on more than one occasion with minimal casualties.  By the end of their mission he has a new found respect for the black soldier and witnesses first hand how they are disrespected by white soldiers who are putting their lives on the line for their country just like they are.

      I honestly didn't know what to expect when I tossed this one in.  I can't recall any blaxploitation flick taking place in World War II but Black Brigade became my favorite in this set. The film is nothing like the typical blaxploitation flick that I love but it was still easily the best film in the set.  The acting in this one is fucking top notch.  The film was made for TV and not your typical exploitation flick so the cast is a step above most.  Stephen Boyd and Robert Hooks deliver unforgettable performances as the racist captain and lieutenant of an all black unit.  The supporting cast is just as fantastic.  It was cool seeing Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams deliver a more serious performance.  I loved the casting in this film.  The story for this one is a powerful story set against the backdrop of World War II.  The movie's main focus is how black soldiers were treated by white soldiers fighting the same war as them.  The war action really brings this rich story to a boil and the viewer will not be able to look away.  Finally, this one does have several on screen deaths.  They are not bloody and those looking for gore will miss out.  The kills fit with the war theme of the film but they are easily forgettable.  Overall, Black Brigade is a must watch for any movie fan regardless of the genre that you prefer.  Check this one out whenever you get the chance.  

The Black Gestapo

Director - Lee Frost (Dixie Dynamite, Love Camp 7)
Starring - Rod Perry (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Project U.F.O.), Charles Robinson (Night Court, Sugar Hill), and Phil Hoover (Race with the Devil, Garden of the Dead)
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Crime/Action
Tagline - "The people's army has declared war!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Blaxploitation is a sub-genre that I am very fond of.  I've loved these films for almost as long as I've been a horror fan.  I've seen a great number of these films but there is still plenty more for me to discover.  Several years back I picked up the blaxploitation flick The Black Gestapo and checked it out.  I remember liking it for the most part but it had been sometime since my last viewing.  It is the second film in the Soul Team Six set so now was a perfect time to revisit it.

     The film follows a group of black men that band together to form the people's army.  They aim to stop the drug pushing, prostitution, and numbers running in their neighborhood by the local crime boss.  Once they accomplish their goal of ridding the streets of these things they start doing them as well to finance their own exploits.  One of their own refuses to join in and becomes a one man army to stop them from ruining their community again.  

     I've watched so many blaxploitation over the years but very few of them leave a lasting impression on me.  The Black Gestapo is one of the few films that I can really remember the story almost scene for scene years later.  I really enjoy the film even after a second viewing but there is still several issues that could be fixed.  The acting in this one is one of the better acted exploitation flicks to come out of the 70s.  We do get some goofy and over the top characters but many of the others are more grounded which really evens out the film.  I really enjoy the cast and the characters they portray.  The story for this one is a little more different than your typical blaxploitation film in which it pits the cast against each other and not the black community vs "the man."  With that being said, the movie does face several slow pacing scenes that almost grinds the film to a halt.  Aside from those slow scenes the story is fun especially for a blaxploitation flick.  Finally, the film has plenty of action with several fighting and gun fights but we don't get any blood or guts.  Overall, The Black Gestapo is one of the more popular blaxploitation flicks and for good reason.  It has a solid cast and a fun story.  Fans of exploitation and blaxploitation should really dig into this one if you haven't already.