A former Green Beret who set out to settle a score with the mob finds they don't give up easy in this action-packed blaxploitation drama. After killing the mobster who killed his parents in Mexico, Slaughter plans to return to a quiet life in Los Angeles, but police detective Reynolds (Brock Peters) warns him that his life is in danger -- it seems crime boss Duncan (Ed McMahon), an associate of the man Slaughter killed, isn't about to allow his killing to pass without retaliation. After an ambitious assassination attempt involving a World War I biplane fails dramatically, Duncan recruits a vicious new hit man, Kirk (Don Stroud), and one of Kirk's first assignments is to take care of Slaughter once and for all. Duncan also has ties to the L.A.P.D., and rather than put Slaughter in protective custody at Reynolds' suggestion, the war hero is put back on the street. However, as Slaughter tracks down the men who murdered his family and threatened the life of his girlfriend Marcia (Gloria Hendry), it looks as if the crooks may need protection from Slaughter more than he needs to be protected from them. A sequel of the successful Jim Brown vehicle Slaughter, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off included an original score by James Brown and his long-time musical partner Fred Wesley. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
It is easy to get confused about whether Slaughter's Big Rip-Off is a sequel or a remake because it follow the plot of the first film so closely: both films use the death of a loved one as an inciting incident, both pit Slaughter against a crime boss and his bloodthirsty enforcer and both feature a police "boss" character that keeps tabs on the hero. The major differences in Slaughter's Big Rip-Off are that a) it takes place in Los Angeles and b) is a much less inspired piece of work. Gordon Douglas' direction is slick but impersonal and the script simply trots out violence and sleaze setpieces in a mechanical fashion until it reaches the end of its storyline. The end result isn't awful but its more of a programmer than an inspired take on the genre (like the original Slaughter was). That said, exploitation film fans will still have fun with this for a few reasons. The first is the great cast: it's strange but entertaining to see Ed McMahon playing a big league dope pusher and the bit roles are littered with familiar faces like Art Metrano (creepy as a party-boy drug dealer who tries to put the make on Slaughter) and Scatman Crothers (who is a hoot in his one scene as a smack-talking pimp). In short, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off is formula fare but has just color and excitement to make it worth a look to hardcore fans of blaxploitation films. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Alfeo Bocchicchio - Art Director, Ray Taylor - First Assistant Director, Gordon M. Douglas - Director, Christopher Holmes - Editor, Fred Welsey - Composer (Music Score), James Brown - Composer (Music Score), Fred Wesley - Composer (Music Score), Brown Weley - Songwriter, Charles Bobbitt - Songwriter, Charles Wheeler - Cinematographer, Monroe Sachson - Producer, Anthony C. Montenaro - Set Designer, Logan R. Frazee - Special Effects, John V. Speak - Sound/Sound Designer, Charles Johnson - Screenwriter
