As entertaining as the blaxploitation genre is, I'm just never very
fond of the early genre examples. Sure, they helped to form the genre
but they are never quite as engaging or fun to watch as some of the
later genre examples.
Don't worry, this is still an entertaining enough movie but it's still not as fun as you perhaps would expect and hope for.
Problem with it is that the story is being too straightforward and simplistic, even for a blaxploitation flick. I was truly missing some good side-plots and some decent enough developments with its story and characters. This movie so easily could have developed into something more. There were plenty of chances and opportunities but the movie decides to stick to its simple and straightforward main story, which in my opinion, is keeping the movie down and preventing it from ever developing into something truly original, clever and engaging.
Like basically all blaxploitation movies do; it thrives on its main character. And yes, luckily the movie its main character, played by Ron O'Neal, is a pretty good and enjoyable one. A very typical alpha male type of character, that goes against the (white men's) system and does everything in his own way. And if you don't like it, or get in his way, better beware! For he is one aggressive and fearless person, that's willing to do anything that needs to be done, to reach his goal.
Yes, it basically features all of the stereotypes you would expect from a movie of this sort, (a fearless, powerful, hip main character, a funky soundtrack, some graphic nudity/sex, violence, nice cars, corrupt cops, drugs, lots of women slapping, etcetera) as well as a very typical visual style and overall style of film-making to it. This also means that the movie has a very cheap look to it, some choppy editing and some questionable cinematography and sound quality. However, this is all part of the charm of the genre really, so it isn't anything I'll start complaining about.
The movie may be super fly but it just isn't a super great one as well unfortunately.
6/10
Don't worry, this is still an entertaining enough movie but it's still not as fun as you perhaps would expect and hope for.
Problem with it is that the story is being too straightforward and simplistic, even for a blaxploitation flick. I was truly missing some good side-plots and some decent enough developments with its story and characters. This movie so easily could have developed into something more. There were plenty of chances and opportunities but the movie decides to stick to its simple and straightforward main story, which in my opinion, is keeping the movie down and preventing it from ever developing into something truly original, clever and engaging.
Like basically all blaxploitation movies do; it thrives on its main character. And yes, luckily the movie its main character, played by Ron O'Neal, is a pretty good and enjoyable one. A very typical alpha male type of character, that goes against the (white men's) system and does everything in his own way. And if you don't like it, or get in his way, better beware! For he is one aggressive and fearless person, that's willing to do anything that needs to be done, to reach his goal.
Yes, it basically features all of the stereotypes you would expect from a movie of this sort, (a fearless, powerful, hip main character, a funky soundtrack, some graphic nudity/sex, violence, nice cars, corrupt cops, drugs, lots of women slapping, etcetera) as well as a very typical visual style and overall style of film-making to it. This also means that the movie has a very cheap look to it, some choppy editing and some questionable cinematography and sound quality. However, this is all part of the charm of the genre really, so it isn't anything I'll start complaining about.
The movie may be super fly but it just isn't a super great one as well unfortunately.
6/10
Watch trailer
No comments: