TNT Jackson (1975) New World/Action RT: 72 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, nudity, drugs) Director: Cirio H. Santiago Screenplay: Ken Metcalfe and Dick Miller Music: Tito Sotto Cinematography: Philip Sacdalan Release date: July 7, 1975 (US) Cast: Jeannie Bell, Stan Shaw, Pat Anderson, Ken Metcalf, Max Alvarado, Chiquito, Percy Gordon, Imelda Ilanan, Chris Cruz, Leo Martin, John Gamble. Box Office: $1.3M (US)
Rating:
Remember the old commercials for Blow Pops that proclaimed “Two great American treats in one!”? I couldn’t help but think of that slogan as I watched TNT Jackson, a low-budget mix of blaxploitation and chop-socky. Granted, the latter thing isn’t technically American, but I bet the Chinese never thought of topless kung fu fighting. HA! I got you there!
I didn’t realize TNT Jackson was a New World picture until I started watching the DVD I picked up for $1 at a flea market. When I saw that, I knew I was in for an exploitation treat. In ’75, schlockmeister Roger Corman was still in charge of the studio. His motto may as well have been “I never met a genre I couldn’t exploit.” He’d take them on two or three at a time, sparing every expense in the process.
The plot, such as it is, has Diana “TNT” Jackson (Bell, Disco 9000) coming to Hong Kong to search for her brother’s killer. She suspects that it has something to do with his involvement with a heroin smuggling ring led by a powerful gangster, Sid (Metcalf, Enter the Ninja). As she hunts for answers, they come to believe she might be behind the recent thefts of shipments. The only who doesn’t think so is Charlie (Shaw, Harlem Nights), one of Sid’s right-hand men. None of this matters in the slightest to TNT. She just wants to find out who killed her brother and get revenge. If she happens to take down the ring in the process, so be it.
Directed by Cirio Santiago (Death Force), TNT Jackson is amateurish and cheaply made. It looks like it was made on a budget of $500 if that. It’s artistically sloppy and horrendously acted. Bell is no Pam Grier or Tamara Dobson. Her character is the bargain basement version of Cleopatra Jones. The villains aren’t particularly memorable; they’re just your everyday Hong Kong heroin smugglers. One gang member wants to take over the business. And you can bet your life there’s an undercover fed among them. If nothing else, TNT Jackson is consistent in terms of plot. It’s just like countless other low-budget martial arts action movies.
TNT does have some decent fighting skills though. She can even fight topless if she has to (or doesn’t have to). In one scene, she takes on about a half-dozen attackers with her boobs bouncing and jiggling. Hey, don’t knock it. It could be a diversionary tactic. She gets off a few good lines. My favorite is when she finds out her brother is dead. She says, “I’m gonna get him whoever is responsible. I’m gonna find ’em and I’m gonna bust the mother f***er to pieces.” I love this sort of tough guy…. er, girl dialogue. The fight scenes are a bit on the clumsy side, but it’s still cool to see our heroine beat the hell out of multiple bad guys and one bad girl.
The only actor in TNT Jackson I’m familiar with is Stan Shaw. It’s kind of funny seeing him sporting a big Afro, but it is the mid-70s. This means you should also expect to see outfits that look like something you’d see on an old Soul Train rerun.
Technically, TNT Jackson is a bad movie, but it’s also a New World movie meaning it’s a special breed of bad movie. It’s one of those campy low-budget exploitation movies that were staples at 42nd Street grindhouse theaters. Although it falls on the lower end of the B-movie spectrum, it’s still entertaining. I’ve seen better than TNT Jackson and I’ve seen worse. It’s pure schlock and should be taken as such. At 72 minutes, it’s not a huge time commitment. It’s enjoyable without being any good.
