Black Gunn

• Director: Robert Hartford-Davis
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Blaxploitation
• Themes: Fighting the System, Vigilantes
• Main Cast: Jim Brown, Tommy Davis, Rick Ferrell, Martin Landau, Jay Montgomery, Brenda Sykes, Mark Tapscott
• Release Year: 1972
• Country: US
• Run Time: 96 minutes

Plot

This violent blaxploitation film stars Jim Brown as the owner of a Los Angeles nightclub. When his brother, a Vietnam veteran, is murdered by gangsters, Brown gathers some of his brother's fellow veterans and an assortment of ex-convicts to get brutal revenge. Martin Landau, Luciana Paluzzi, and Jeannie Bell head the cast, along with genre regulars Bruce Glover, Bernie Casey, and Gary Conway. Director Robert Hartford-Davis is best known for horror films like Incense of the Damned and Corruption, while Brown went on to more successful genre fare in Slaughter and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Review

This early entry in the blaxploitation genre isn't the best or worst of its type. Like Shaft, it gives plenty of lip service to black power and portrays a black hero sticking it to The Man. Unfortunately, it lacks the compelling lead character and tight plotting of Shaft. Gunn is a bit too arrogant and distant to make a likable hero and he doesn't really get involved in the story line until the film is half over. These problems are enhanced by a middling performance from the usually charismatic Jim Brown, who acquits himself well in the action scenes, but sleepwalks through the rest. Despite these key problems, blaxploitation fans might still enjoy Black Gunn because it delivers the goods in a stylish, unpretentious fashion. Director Robert Hartford-Davis keeps the focus on slam-bang action and his efforts are nicely enhanced by sharp lensing by cinematographer Richard Kline. The film also sports an ace supporting cast, including Martin Landau and Bruce Glover, who attack their over-the-top racist villain characterizations with maximum gusto. Bernie Casey also turns in a convincing performance as a tough-minded activist. In the end, Black Gunn never rises above "programmer" status, but it's got enough punch to be decent time-killing fare for blaxploitation genre completists. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Cast

Jeanie Bell - Lisa; Arell Blanton - TV Director; Vida Blue - Sam Green; Timothy Brown - Larry; Bernie Casey - Seth; Chuck Daniel - Mel; Sandra Giles - Prostitute; Tony Giorgio - Ben; Bruce Glover - Ray Kriley; Toni Holt - Betty; Herbert Jefferson, Jr. - Scott Gunn; Deacon Jones - Himself; Martin Landau - Capelli; Luciana Paluzzi - Toni; Lavelle Roby - Jane; Gyl Roland - Celeste; Brenda Sykes - Judith; Gene Washington - Elmo; James Louis Watkins - Lt. Jopper; Jonas Wolfe - Val; Katherine Woodville - Louella; Tony Young - Dell; Frank Bello - Robbo; Keefe Brasselle - Winman; Jim Brown - Gunn; Gary Conway - Adams; Manuel DePina - Bowling Alley Manager; William Campbell - Rico; Tommy Davis - Webb; Rick Ferrell - Jimpy; Jay Montgomery - Junkie; Mark Tapscott - Cassidy; Stephen McNally - Laurento

Credit

Jack de Shields - Art Director, Max Stein - First Assistant Director, Robert Hartford-Davis - Director, David de Wilde - Editor, Pat Somerset - Editor, Tony Osborne - Composer (Music Score), Richard H. Kline - Cinematographer, John Heyman - Producer, Norman Priggen - Producer, Franklin Coen - Screenwriter, Robert Shearer - Play Author

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Black Caesar; The Black Gestapo; Bucktown; Coffy; Hell Up in Harlem; The Spook Who Sat by the Door; Truck Turner; Black Shampoo