Super Fly T.N.T.

Everything that was right with the original "Super Fly" is wrong here. The original was the true definition of "independent film making;" very small budget, humble, and passionate. Nobody involved was famous, or a "big shot," and that gave the movie a kind of innocence that is lost on this showy sequel. The biggest mistake was taking the action out of New York City, as the ghetto backdrop played such a major role in the story, and it defined exactly who the character, Priest was. For this sequel the action is moved to more exotic settings of Italy, and later Africa. Thus the connection to the first film is lost. Everything here is bigger, more expensive, and everyone involved is more self-important due to the success they found with the first movie; thus the heart is lost as well. This is typical example of what goes wrong with sequels of great movies. The same thing happened with the "Penitentiary" franchise. The first one was an excellent piece of independent cinema, made with no money by a team of unknowns, and it was followed by an awful sequel, devoid of passion or artistic value. As far as Ron O'Neal, the man who made Priest such a fascinating character; he wasn't given the kinds of roles that he should have gotten. But he truly redeems himself after "Super Fly TNT," a few years later, with the excellent grindhouse classic "The Hitter," a film that received no attention, but is a million times better than this shallow vanity piece. I would encourage any fan of "Super Fly" and Ron O'Neal to skip this lame sequel and search out "The Hitter" instead.

I recently watched Super Fly T. N. T (1973) on Facebook. The storyline follows Super Fly, who has retired from the street life and moved to Rome. As he attempts to settle down and distance himself from his past, he encounters new people who remind him of his responsibility to guide others along a different path. Initially hesitant, our hero must decide whether to show others that success and happiness can be found outside of hustling and drugs.

Directed by and starring Ron O'Neal (Up Against the Wall), the film also features notable actors like Roscoe Lee Brown (Logan's Run), Sheila Frazier (Three the Hard Way), Robert Guillaume (Benson), Jacques Sernas (Helen of Troy) and William Berger (Hercules).

While this movie has all the ingredients for a worthwhile picture, they somehow aren't blended smoothly for the viewer's journey. The beautiful settings are underutilized, and although the dialogue is well-written, the self-reflection and comedy detract from the primary plot. The self-reflection could have been more effectively integrated. Additionally, while the horseback riding scenes are humorous, they feel somewhat out of place based on the character. However, the soundtrack and jive elements, as expected, add to the film's appeal.

In conclusion, Super Fly T. N. T contains some worthwhile bits and pieces but falls short as a whole. I would rate it 4/10 but still recommend watching it at least once.

The premise of this sequel is not a bad one: a retired Priest, living in Europe, has his conscious stirred by African rebels needing help overthrowing their colonial government, and decides to help them. However, this movie takes forever to get started, and then takes forever to get to an end that feels unsatisfying and unfinished. Unlike the first movie, the musical score is terrible. It's no wonder this movie bombed in theaters and took forever to be released on video.

Well I thought the original was all over the place ... the sequel is actually even more so. Even if they did a location change (and I reckon since Italy was quite cheap to shoot at in the 70s they probably shot there too, not that it matters), this is quite a dull watch overall. Even with the charismatic lead.

As with the first one, I am not aware of production issues or the history of the making of. Historically it is known that it wasn't easy for African American/black people to get an acting job. So I guess it makes sense that Ron O'Neal directed this as well. Maybe he bit more than he could chew though. Even with the addition of a great character actor, there was not much to save ... Blaxploitation fans may feel different overall. And maybe I'm spoiled with something like Black Dynamite that is just pitch perfect ...

The movie opens with scenes of what turns out to be Rome. I didn't know where this was set, and I had no knowledge of the original 'Superfly', but I was curious. When I saw the Colosseum, I knew where it was.

A group of rebels in an African desert gets ambushed, their weapons are taken, and the men are killed. Dr. Sonko is in the room when one of the rebel leaders is informed about what has happened. Later, Dr. Sonko goes to Rome. As it turns out, he wants Priest to help him.

The first half of the movie didn't make a lot of sense, possibly because I didn't know the characters. I know they were playing poker, and that's about it. I did like Jordan Gaines, who was funny, and I wouldn't have recognized him had I not seen Robert Guillaume's name in the credits. I enjoyed hearing Priest say things like 'Can you dig it?'

The music added to the movie, especially where there was what sounded like a traditional African performance mixed with 70s American soul. Scenes of African culture about halfway through the movie, including women carrying baskets on their heads, and people doing local crafts--these added to the movie as well.

Roscoe Lee Browne is such an excellent actor. So I was surprised that he seemed distracted by his French accent, and not as talented as usual. But when he gave his big speech to Priest about why Priest should care about Umbia (I'm guessing at the spelling), THAT was the Roscoe Lee Browne I expected.

Sheila Frasier did a good job as Georgia. Ron O'Neal's ability came through more in the second half, with some good though violent scenes where Priest had to use both intelligence and physical ability. The ending was great.

I'd like to see the original 'Superfly'.