Slaughter

Jim Brown is one cool dude, even when he's making a typical 70s blaxploitation flick.

Here, he is an ex-Green Beret home from 'nam going after the mob thugs that killed his father.

First, he has to get by their secret weapon, Stella Stevens, girlfriend of #2, Rip Torn, a racist that is just seething at the thought of Stevens between the sheets with Brown. And, boy, do they steam up those sheets! That must have been a shock to 70s audiences.

Now, the thugs are not too bright as they try to run Brown down with a Mustang. Don't they know that this former fullback is one of the all time greats in NFL history? Their efforts to catch him in the casino meets with equal disaster as he runs right through them.

Of course, you know Slaughter wins in the end because there is a sequel.

One interesting aspect for the younger folks is the IBM punch card that figures prominently in the film. They probably have never seen one.

...so goes Billy Preston's song. MGM had SHAFT (1971) with Richard Roundtree, AIP had SLAUGHTER with Jim Brown. After his parents are blown up by the Mafia, Vietnam Vet Brown's gonna kick some greasy Italian ass (Rip Torn), and along the way he gets a sidekick (Steve McQueen's mate Don Gordon), sleeps with Stella Stevens and generally causes havoc down in Mexico. It's not very good, but there are some decent action scenes and it's a hell of a lot better than some of the Blaxploitation garbage.

There are only three reasons to see this and they are Stella Stevens three nude scenes, two in bed with Jim Brown, and one in the shower. Other than Stella, there is little to recommend. All you get is plenty of meaningless action, car chases, and other nonsense. Cameron Mitchell is totally wasted, and Rip Torn unfortunately is forgettable as a Mafia boss. The revenge plot seems forced, and the government's involvement has something to do with computers, but is murky at best. One plus is the Todd AO photography, which produces several intriguing wide angle shots. "Slaughter" is nothing more than a weak mafia film, with Stella Stevens being the only attraction. - MERK

Slaughter (1972)

** (out of 4)

Ex Green Beret Slaughter (Jim Brown) seeks vengeance against the Mob who killed his father and soon teams up with some Feds to track down the gang and take them out one by one including the head guy (Rip Torn). This AIP blaxploitation flick has a lot going for it but I found the direction to be all over the place and there were a few too many slow spots to be a complete winner, which is a shame because there's a terrific cast on display here. The screenplay is your typical revenge tale but I think the film could have benefited from a small re-write because what we have here isn't all that interesting because the script really lets us down in terms of the bad guys. We have a couple different bad guys but neither of them are very interesting and I think the film would have benefited by touching them up a tad bit more especially since you have an actor like Torn eating up the scenery and turning in a fine performance. Brown, not the greatest actor out there, but he still manages to be quite cool in the role and he's got some funny comic timing as well. The sequence where he crashes into a party and the servant asks if he has an invitation and Brown slowly pulls out his gun and says "yep" is certainly one of the highlights of the film. We also get Cameron Mitchell in a couple brief scenes and it's always fun seeing him. Even though all the guys do a good job it's the beautiful Stella Stevens who steals the film. It's not her acting that steals the movie but her chest, which is constantly coming out of no matter what type of outfit she's wearing.

SLAUGHTER features Jim Brown at the top of his game as the title character. If you liked him in THE DIRTY DOZEN, then you'll love him here!

Slaughter is out for revenge against the mob types who've killed his father. This leads to his being recruited by the government to help take down a South American crime lord. Rip Torn plays Slaughter's nemesis, Hoffo, and Stella Stevens has never been hotter, as Hoffo's lover. Of course, it's not long before her eyes, as well as the rest of her, wander in Slaughter's direction. This all culminates in explosive action, car chases, and Ms. Stevens showing off just how much God has blessed her.

Hallelujah!

Watch this one immediately!...