Slaughter

After his parents are killed by the mob, a former Green Beret (Jim Brown) joins forces with "The Man" to get his revenge. An enjoyable Blaxploitation film that's not without its share of flaws. Obviously, NFL great Jim Brown's acting leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn't do well in the quieter, more emotional scenes. When he's ticked off and kicking butt, though, he's fun to watch. Cameron Mitchell is fine as a cop. Rip Torn is the villain and he spends most of the movie squinting and saying the N word. Don Gordon is amusing as a sort of comic relief sidekick. Highlight of the movie is sexy Stella Stevens, in particular her memorable nude scenes. This isn't one of my favorite Blaxploitation flicks but it's solid with some nice action and T&A. Give it a look if you're a fan of the genre or a fan of nice boobs.

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!...

...because I've been able to watch this film and other great blaxploitation classics.The plot is pretty basic for this genre(the tough black hero avenges the death of his loved one and kick some "whitey" butt in the process).Although the film seems dated,the action pieces more than make up for it.Jim Brown shows a limited range as an actor,but Rip Torn is great as the slimy mobster & Stella Stevens is hot as always as the girlfriend.

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.

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.