Black Fist

I actually bested an earlier writer's bargain by buying this brand new in a shrink wrap for $1 at a dollar store. I regret that the cover art is a close up face pic that is generic and close up to where he looks like anybody else with an Afro and full mustache. I much more prefer the super hero pic that is sported on this page. The movie was middling, not as stellar as Shaft, Truck Turner and Superfly, but certainly above Fred Williamson's Joashua AKA Black Rider, which had it's potential retarded by one of the most inept music scores of all time. Black Fist has a competent soundtrack moving from a Liza Minelli/ Barbara Streisand sound alike crooning an opening homage to the lead character then moving to lush instrumentals with violins that would have made Barry White proud. The lead star looks familiar. In my case, I recently saw him in Burt Reynold's Stick, but I was surprised to find that he has only treaded on notoriety playing in many TV shows. He is somewhat similar to the guy who played on WXRP in Cinncinatti as well as The Brother from the Love Boat, which also makes him seem familiar. I thought his hero was decent with the exception of an opening scene that seemed out of character in which he stuttered when first confronted but then nonsensibly and unexplainably he was confident and confrontational seconds later ( a blooper perhaps). Speaking of bloopers, there is a scene early on when the Gerald Levert looking henchman pulls a gun on Leroy and behind him and clearly in site you see a second yes man who has a gun pointed at the Levert lookalike. It is subtle, but makes no sense 1 henchman pointing a gun at his partner. Perhaps improvised by an overzealous actor who wanted to extend his limited screen time. The actress who plays the love interest is more than adequate for an overall good film.

I bought this as a clearance video for $3. This movie certainly has a certain charm about it. Richard Lawson's portrayal of Fisk reminds me a lot of Samuel L. Jackson's character Jules in Pulp Fiction. Dabney Coleman is also excellent as the scummy, corrupt cop. Some of the violent scenes are rather realistic and unsettling without resorting to gore. Production values are a little weak in spots but if you're a fan of 'blaxploitation' films or the '70's you'll enjoy this flick.

To make money, a Los Angeles street-fighter goes to work for gangsters.

Wow. Porn music. Porn Direction. And originally rated X.

This is some real obscure blaxpoltation flick. With Dabney Coleman no less!!!!

The movie is VERY 70s. The homes they shoot in a re so 70s.

The movie starts with a white mobster getting his haircut in a black barbershop!

Leroy becomes a street fighter fighter for money in junk yards roof tops, etc. Nuts. How are they making money off this The lemon aid stand?

Not really sure why this movie was rated X when it came out. Not much blood or nudity.

Anyway...surprisingly, it's a watchable movie. I was very surprised.

According to a letter to the 11 Jan 1985 Reader by screenwriter Tim Kelly, the film, originally titled "Bogard" after its production in 1974, received an X-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for violence and an interracial sexual interlude. When the producers removed the sex scene during a recut for the new title, "The Black Streetfighter", the rating was changed to R, the 26 Jul 1976 Box reported.

In the Reader letter, Kelly explained that after "Bogard" was filmed in Los Angeles, CA, in 1974, it re-emerged in 1976 as "The Black Streetfighter" following Centaur Films' bankruptcy, containing "most, certainly not all, of the original 'Bogard' footage." Additional scenes were taken from a proposed sequel to "Bogard" called "Black Fist", which became the new title of "The Black Streetfighter" in late 1977.

Though Peter Traynor and William D. Sklar of Centaur Films were the original producers of "Bogard", according to an 8 Feb 1975 LAT article, their names were removed when the title was changed. So was the name of screenwriter Mel Frohman.

Richard Lawson has done most of his work for TV, which is too bad. In "Black Fist", Lawson is the diamond-in-the-rough that saves this movie from its low-budget woes. His performance is excellent, and keeps us watching just to see his character unfold.

Another reviewer complained that the surviving print of this film, available on video, is a hatchet job for re-release, possibly to television. That explains frequent continuity gaffs that comprise the film's worst failings.

Some of the other actors are pretty limp; the low-budget cinematography clearly shows effort, but can't get around the fact that the director's ambitions outpaced his available technology. The script gets trite on occasion, although there are also some very strong lines of dialog, and the story is pretty good.

But what truly deserves to be remembered here is Lawsons performance. It's a shame that Hollywood has wasted the potential of men and women of real talent just because of their skin color or ethnicity.