The Black Godfather (1974) Cinemation Industries/Action RT: 95 minutes Rated R (violence, language, full frontal female nudity, sex, drugs) Director: John Evans Screenplay: John Evans Music: Martin Yarbrough Cinematography: Jack Steely Release date: September 3, 1974 (US) Cast: Rod Perry, Damu King, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield, Jimmy Witherspoon, Duncan McLeod, Tony Burton, Anny Green, John Alderman, Betsy Finley, Ken Bell, Cinque Attucks. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ** ½
Contrary to its title, The Black Godfather is NOT The Godfather with an all-black cast. HA! It wishes it was half as great as the first chapter of Coppola’s iconic gangster saga. Then again, so do a lot of movies dealing with organized crime. Like all copies, some turn out better than others. The Black Godfather happens to be one of the ones that didn’t turn out too badly.
The blaxploitation crime drama stars Rod Perry (TV’s S.W.A.T.) as J.J., a young junkie we first meet trying to rob drug dealers with his friend who ends up dying in an alley from a gunshot wound. An injured J.J. is helped to safety by local crime boss Nate Williams (blues singer Witherspoon) who also imparts a few words of wisdom on successfully living a life of crime. A short time later, J.J. is one of the top guys on the streets. He wants to rid his neighborhood of drugs and the pushers that get kids hooked. He recruits militant group leader Diablo (King, Shaft) to aid him in his efforts. Their primary target is Tony (Chastain, C.C. & Company), a white gangster who isn’t easily intimidated. If he has to go to war to hold onto his territory, he will.
Movies like The Black Godfather aren’t complete without a couple of things: (1) the hero’s love interest and (2) a corrupt white cop. First, we have Nate’s daughter Yvonne (Sommerfield, Blackjack). They’re really into each other making her a liability. Naturally, Tony snatches and holds her when push comes to shove in the escalating gang war. Second, we have Lt. Joe (McLeod, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), a dirty cop who takes bribes from all sides. He also acts as a messenger between dealers. He really doesn’t care who comes out on top, just as long as he keeps getting paid.
In true blaxploitation fashion, The Black Godfather has a cool poster. It shows Perry surrounded by foxy ladies while holding a gun. The tagline reads: “There’s a new Godfather in town…. and everybody wants his body- the FBI, some very foxy chicks and the Mafia!” It may not be 100% accurate- in fact, it’s NOT- but it looks good in the lobby. The title looks great on a 42nd Street marquee but chances are you already know that.
Like many movies of its ilk, The Black Godfather is rough around the edges. It’s not especially well made. The acting is noticeably wooden, amateurish in some cases. Perry’s a decent blaxploitation lead, but he’s no Jim Brown or Fred Williamson. Sommerfield, whose body is on FULL display, is sexy. Tony Burton of the Rocky movies makes a decent debut as Nate’s main henchman, ex-boxer Sonny. The pacing is off. It has more talk than action. However, the talk mainly consists of dippy dialogue like Nate telling J.J. “Don’t let your ass overload your mouth now.” With lines like that, you can’t help but be amused. The same goes for scenes that come out of nowhere like the one where a female militant in bimbo disguise kills a dealer and his wife with kung fu.
Writer-director John Evans (Blackjack) makes one big mistake with The Black Godfather. If he wanted to emulate Coppola’s film, why didn’t he focus on J.J.’s rise to power? He becomes a boss before the end of the first reel. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting to see how he becomes a “Black Godfather”? Evans could have easily incorporated J.J.’s campaign against the white dealers into such a plotline. It’s not a total loss though; he adds a few nice touches. While looking for the kidnapped Yvonne, J.J. comes up with the idea of using “domestics” (e.g. maids, janitors, orderlies, etc.) as an information network. All these white bad guys have black servants; why not put them to good use?
The Black Godfather has a few decent action scenes, a car chase and airfield shoot-out being the best. I like how Diablo’s men put the fear of (black) God into a (white) dealer to make him divulge the details of a big shipment coming in. Also, I like Yvonne’s clever use of a cleaver in the finale. I like a lot of things about The Black Godfather; I just think it could have been better overall.
