Themes: Vigilantes, Criminal's Revenge, Righting the Wronged
Main Cast: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Alan Weeks, Eric Laneuville
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
Robert Clouse, director of Enter the Dragon, returned with this blaxploitation actioner starring Jim Kelly as an instructor at a martial-arts school in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Teaming with former Bond girl Gloria Hendry, Kelly saves the school and Hendry's dad (Scatman Crothers) from the Mob. Eric Laneuville, Malik Carter, and Love Boat bartender Ted Lange are also onhand. Kelly was one of the subgenre's most popular heroes at the time, starring in films like Black Terminator and Black Eliminator by the score. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Review
Black Belt Jones is probably the best-known screen outing for Jim Kelly, the African-American martial artist who starred alongside Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. It also reunites Kelly with Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse, but the film that results from this reunion isn't as compelling or consistent as their prior hit. The problem lies in Oscar Williams' script, which goes overboard on slapstick and constantly pushes the film's comedy element to the forefront. This constant reliance on humor becomes grating after a while and reduces the impact of the film's action. Despite this key flaw, Black Belt Jones has its good points. Jim Kelly is a skilled martial artist and Scatman Crothers infuses his all-too-brief role with some raffish charm. However, the best performer in the cast is Gloria Hendry: She adds a much-needed element of drama to the film and handles her action scenes with an impressive mixture of grace and ferocity. Black Belt Jones further benefits from solid technical credits, including crisp cinematography by Kent Wakeford (who shot Mean Streets) and punchy editing from future Spielberg film editor Michael Kahn. Fans of blaxploitation will also enjoy the intensely funky score by Luchi DeJesus, which is built on an infectious theme by former Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey. In the end, Black Belt Jones is probably a bit too silly for serious action fans, but its period charm and plentiful action will please blaxploitation buffs. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Vincent Barbi - Big Tuna; Malik Carter - Pinky; Nate Esformes - Roberts; Ted Lange; Earl Maynard - Bogart #5; Mel Novak - Blue Eyes; Andre Philippe - Don Steffano; Esther Sutherland - Lucy; Robert Wall - Mob Henchman (uncredited); Eddie Bo Smith, Jr. - Oscar; Clarence A. Barnes - Tango; Earl Brown - Jelly; Alex Brown - Plummer
Credit
Ann McCarthy - Costume Designer, Martin Hornstein - First Assistant Director, Robert Clouse - Director, Michael Kahn - Editor, Robert Wall - Fights Choreographer, Dennis Coffy - Composer (Music Score), Luchi de Jesus - Composer (Music Score), Gary Morris - Makeup, Kent Wakeford - Cinematographer, Paul Heller - Producer, Fred Weintraub - Producer, Charles R. Pierce - Set Designer, Darin Knight - Sound/Sound Designer, Alex Rose - Screen Story, Fred Weintraub - Screenwriter, Oscar Williams - Screenwriter, Alex Ross - Screenwriter
