Whitey has a plan to commit genocide and wipe out all the black
people in America by poisoning the water supply in three cities with some
thing that only kills blacks. I see a few issues with that plan. First there
are millions of blacks who do not live in those three cities. Second, who
drinks out of their faucets any more with all the lead. Third I think the
word would get around pretty quickly not to drink the water. Fourth - how
black do you have to be - one tenth, one half? Fifth - shit there go our
sports teams except for alpine skiing. So not the most brilliant of premises
but it does manage to bring three of the biggest actors in Blaxploitation
together in one picture - Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. Under
normal circumstances I would say the coolest threesome in film but not even
in this film. That award would go to The Princess (Marie O'Henry), The Countess
(Pamela Serpe) and The Empress (Irene Tsui) who are brought in to torture
one of the bad guys - a racially diverse group of torturers with one black,
another white and one Chinese. Diversity is important in the torture business
I always say. They needed to have their own movie. Though a little shocking
to see Tsui who would later play Aunt Rosie in Comrades, A Love Story topless
as a Bondage Queen. But very cool.
A group of White Supremacists that numbers into the hundreds and led by a
man who looks a bit like Jerry Fallwell Sr. are almost ready to give the
go ahead to poison the water supplies. They have been testing it on blacks
that they have kidnapped off the streets and a store of dead bodies can testify
to the success they are having. But one prisoner escapes and makes it to
Los Angeles with a bullet wound. He contacts Jim Brown - a record producer
of all things - where is Slaughter when you need him - but is unable to give
him many details before he dies. And Brown's girlfriend is kidnapped. Men
in Blaxploitation films should not have girlfriends. Shit always happens
to them and they slow the film down. They also start trying to kill Brown.
That annoys him. The kidnapped girlfriend too.
Brown figures he needs help from some old friends and so goes to Chicago
to recruit Williamson who doesn't believe any of this until the bad guys
in beige raincoats try and kill them leading to a fabulous action scene and
Brown and Williamson racing down a street. My money was on Williamson - defensive
back vs running back. But actually a white guy our runs them. What the hell.
Don't worry they end up killing him and a bunch of others. Then it is on
to NYC where Jim Kelly is beating up a bunch of cops trying to frame him
with his martial arts. They are attacked again - it is like white supremacists
are popping out from under every rock - sort of like the Jan 6th riot. They
get one captured alive and that is when they bring in the girls to
make him talk. I would be like - just let me spend 30 minutes with
them and I will tell you everything I know. He isn't so lucky.
Lots of action to go stopping all three sabotage attempts - it helps that
the bad guys all wear red berets and then it is time to take out home base.
Big old dumb action ending with the three of them taking on a gazillion bad
guys. I think it would have been cooler if they had shown up with 100 Black
Panthers - not the Marvel one - to kill all the honkies. Directed by
Gordon Parks Jr, who also helmed Super Fly - and who was the son of Gordon
Parks Sr, who directed Shaft and Shaft's Big Score. Pretty neat father and
son combo.
