Black Belt Jones (1974) Warner Bros./Action RT: 87 minutes Rated R (violence, language) Director: Robert Clouse Screenplay: Oscar Williams Music: Luchi DeJesus Cinematography: Kent L. Wakeford Release date: January 28, 1974 (US) Cast: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Eric Laneuville, Alan Weeks, Andre Philippe, Vincent Barbi, Mel Novak, Malik Carter, Eddie Smith, Alex Brown, Clarence Barnes, Earl Brown, Jac Emil, Wayne Musgrove, Ray C. Davis, Leroy Wofford, Earl Maynard, Nate Esformes, Esther Sutherland, Sid Kaiser, Doug Sides. Box Office: $727,449 (US)
Rating: ***
Enter the Dragon belongs entirely to Bruce Lee, no question there. However, there is NO discounting co-star Jim Kelly. He more than holds his own opposite the famed martial artist in the 1973 chop-socky classic. Warner evidently felt the same way since they immediately signed Kelly to a three-picture deal after he completed work on Dragon. The following year, Black Belt Jones kicked it way into theaters. A groovy blend of martial arts and blaxploitation, it got only a mixed reception from critics and audiences, but has since gained cult status and deservedly so. It might not be the pinnacle of exploitation filmmaking, but it’s a lot of fun.
Kelly plays the eponymous character, an expert martial artist out for revenge after the murder of his friend Pop Byrd (Crothers, The Shining), a karate school owner whose refusal to sell his property throws a monkey wrench into a huge development deal involving the Mafia. The Don (Philippe, Invasion of the Bee Girls) sends pool hall thug Pinky (Carter, Penitentiary II) to intimidate Pop into selling the school. He unintentionally kills him instead. It turns out the building doesn’t even belong to Pop. It belongs to his daughter Sydney (Hendry, Live and Let Die) who he hasn’t seen in 20 years. When she comes to L.A. for the funeral, she decides to join Jones in his mission of revenge. Together, they go after everybody who played a part in Pop’s death.
Okay, so the plot of Black Belt Jones is no great shakes. We’ve seen countless variations of the same theme since kung fu movies became popular. This time, it’s a little different in that it’s presented in the context of a blaxploitation movie. The result is a sometimes silly action movie that allows Kelly ample opportunity to show off his martial arts skills. At 6’ 2”, the former middleweight karate champ cuts a rather imposing figure, towering over most of his opponents. He’s got serious game. The same goes for Hendry. Her character has serious skills as well. She disables male adversaries by grabbing them by the scrotum and squeezing. It’s a cool and painful signature move that would make any guy cringe.
Directed by Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon), Black Belt Jones scores high when it comes to action. There are plenty of cool fight scenes including one in which Jones kicks his opponents off a train by sending them flying through the windows. The climactic scene, which involves a mounting pile of soap suds, is exciting. In the spirit of true cooperation, Jones beats up the bad guys and Sydney deposits them into the back of a garbage truck for transportation to the police station later.
I enjoy Black Belt Jones very much, but I won’t try and convince you it’s filmmaking at its finest. It’s not. It was considered bad enough to merit inclusion in the 1982 comedy documentary It Came from Hollywood, a salute to the worst cinema has to offer with intros by Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and Cheech & Chong. It was the first I ever heard of the movie. Sadly, it wasn’t available to rent at the Video Den. I finally got my hands on a copy in late ’90 courtesy of Movies Unlimited. I’ve been a fan ever since.
So is Black Belt Jones a bad movie? I wouldn’t say that. Sure, the acting isn’t all that great, but who comes to a movie like this expecting Oscar-level performances? NOBODY, that’s who! Nobody in their right mind, at least. The acting is very cartoonish. Everybody in the cast knows it’s a dopey kung fu flick and acts accordingly. The plot is fairly straightforward except for some business about an incriminating photograph of a politician somehow involved in the development deal. Not too much is done with this aspect of the story. On the upside, Black Belt Jones features a funky theme song by Dennis Coffey. No blaxploitation movie is complete without one, am I right?
I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t talk about the screwy dialogue in Black Belt Jones. There’s plenty of it. One of my favorite lines occurs right after Jones and the karate students successfully rob the Don of a great deal money. After setting a scheme in motion to take down Pinky, Jones announces, “Hey, hey! Let’s go to McDonald’s!” to which the youngsters respond most enthusiastically. Here are a few other choice lines:
Sydney (to Jones): “My cookie would kill you!”
Lucy (Pop’s lady): “I’m gonna slap the black off you.”
Pinky (in a display of his poetic skills): “Choose money over honey? Shiiiiiit! Man, you can pull my groin, just gimme that coin! Man, I’d rather be dead than not have any bread! Pinky’s mama didn’t raise no fool!”
Sydney: “I’ll make you look like a sick faggot.”
Then there’s this memorable exchange:
Pinky: “Who the f*** hit me?”
Jones: “Batman, muthaf***a!”
Don’t you just love s*** like this? Sorry, I meant to say shiiiiiit.
I’ll grant that Black Belt Jones is no Enter the Dragon, but it’s a decent first starring role for Kelly. He’s a good mix of cool cat, bad ass and karate man. Hendry is sexy as hell. The villains are a total joke. Oh yeah, it’s always great to see Mel Novak (Game of Death), one of the best B-movie character actors of the 70s.
For me, Black Belt Jones nicely represents the joy of low-budget B-movies. It’s a whole lot of fun to watch even if it isn’t particularly well made. Fast-paced and action-packed, it’s my kind of entertainment.
