Visum für die Hölle

This Jim Brown film was made just after SLAUGTER and SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF and seems an awful lot like these two films. Aside from a few plot elements and a few name changes, you'd swear that this is a Slaughter film--with the tough and laconic Brown once again taking on the mob. This isn't a bad thing, as these three films, though similar, are better than the usual Blaxploitation film--with better production values, better scripts and better acting.

The film begins with a group of Black Panther-like men robbing a mob hangout. When they also happen to pick up a book detailing mob payoffs, the mobsters say "you're dead men"--at which point the dumb part of the film occurs. Now think about it--you rob the mob and they promise to kill you while you are holding guns on them. What is your next move? You kill the dirty muthas, of course!! But, these nit-wits run away instead--and several were shot by the mobsters because these idiots didn't think to take their guns!!! Aye, aye, aye. Fortunately, this is the only seriously dumb moment in the film...trust me.

While the mob isn't sure who did this robbery, they decide to just start beating up and threatening everyone in the ghetto. Later, they somehow assume that Gunn's brother was involved and spend a lot of time and energy trying to find him. This brings Gunn (Jim Brown) into this mess. While he had nothing to do with the robbery, he has little choice but to fight these jive turkey racists--led by Martin Laundau (though he wasn't in the movie all that much). Eventually, it's a one-man vendetta--Gunn versus the mob--leading to a very typical finale--with a bazillion explosions and dead folks everywhere.

One aspect of the film could have been better. This film is just jam-packed with Black athletes--some who were very famous. However, for the most part, they are more like cameo appearances and I was hoping to see more of them. Sure, Brown and Bernie Casey were in the film--but they were in a lot of films of the genre. Although he's barely in the film, the super-star of the day for baseball, Vida Blue (24-8 the season before making this film and MVP/Cy Young Winner) appeared as a character--the only time he acted (if you can call it that). In addition, football players Tim Brown, Deacon Jone and Gene Washington were in small roles--and give little to do as well. There also was a Tommy Davis listed in the credits. This could be THE Tommy Davis that played for the Dodgers (among other ball teams) but couldn't pinpoint this for sure. With all these talents, it sure would have been nice if it had been more of an ensemble approach--such as when Roy Jefferson, Mike Thomas and Mike Bass (all who at one time played for the Washington Redskins) played in BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH. It's an opportunity lost, but still even with Jim Brown alone, it was a pretty entertaining, though formulaic, film.

Jim Brown, the personification of coolness, is the nightclub owner who decides to avenge his brother's murder and begins a war against the local Mafia. Familiar but enjoyable, thanks largely to Brown's presence, and to some dynamic action scenes. Two interesting things: the use of wide-angle lenses during a fight scene, and a strong supporting role for the actor who was memorable as one of the two homosexual goons in "Diamonds Are Forever". (**1/2)

I have recently developed an appreciation for low budget British filmmaker Robert Hartford-Davis (1923-1977) after watching a handful of his horror films such as BLACK TORMENT (1965), CORRUPTION (1968), and THE FIEND aka BEWARE THE BRETHREN (1972). The constant thread running through these and such films as BLACK GUNN (1973) are imaginative camerawork, crisp but non-flashy editing, and consistently interesting performances from his actors.

In that sense Hartford-Davis is sort of a poor man's Michael Winner (literally since he never had the budgets Winner did for his films) which is meant as a compliment. I have a strong admiration for directors like Edgar G. Ulmer, Edward L. Cahn, and now Hartford-Davis who could create numerous memorable moments out of the small budgets that they had to work with. Small budgets also meant that they were stuck in genre films like horror or exploitation (Blaxploitation in this case) but even in this category the cream always manages to rise to the top.

Despite the title, BLACK GUNN is not a remake of the old TV series PETER GUNN refitted for an African-American audience. It's an urban crime melodrama set in L. A. with Jim Brown as the successful owner of a nightclub whose younger brother rips off the mob. We all know happens when you do that. Throw in some black militancy, some deliberately provocative racist dialogue, a delightfully droll performance by Martin Landau as the chief baddie, and B movie veterans Bruce Glover and William Campbell as a pair of deliriously sleazy hoods and you've got classic entertainment early 70s style (I'm sure Quentin Tarantino knows this particular movie).

It's all directed with a quiet panache by Hartford-Davis who had just come to America and would make one more feature before going into television and dying of a heart attack at 53. Is it a great movie? Of course not but within the limited parameters it has to contend with, BLACK GUNN is one of the best of the many Blaxploitation movies that were made at this time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Robert Hartford-Davis is the reason why...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I'm not sure why the Mill Creek Entertainment company thought that this movie was deserving of a Blu-ray release. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy some elements of it. Since it's a blaxploitation movie from the 1970s, it has many of the fun trademarks of the genre, such as the clothing, hair styles, attitude, slimy bad guys, nudity, and so on. Also, the movie does boast some good action sequences here and there (love those splattery blood wounds!) Unfortunately, there are less action sequences than most viewers will be expecting and demanding. The movie instead is strung along with many long (and slow) sequences of talking, which often doesn't advance the plot that much. In fact, it takes almost half the movie before the character of Gunn is enraged and decides to take revenge. And even when the character of Gunn is engaged on the path of revenge, the performance by Jim Brown more often than not makes the character seem disinterested and bored. The movie also ends on a note with several plot threads clearly not given a proper conclusion. There are definitely worse blaxploitation movies than "Black Gunn", but there are definitely some that are much better. I'd only recommend it to fans of the genre who have already seen the better efforts and are really craving for more, and who are willing to put up with the aforementioned defects the movie has.

Jim Brown once again shows us what screen presence is all about in this rather routine but enjoyable blaxploitation-action-melodrama. He plays the title character, who owns a club in L.A. One night, his younger brother Scott (Herbert Jefferson, Jr.), a member of a militant group, brings in the proceeds of a late night robbery, including some incriminating books; this brings down the wrath of the local mob. Before too long, Scott is dead and Gunn is therefore ripe for revenge.

The story is nothing special; it entertains solidly even if it's pretty predictable by and large. But director Robert Hartford-Davis (who went on to do "The Take" with Billy Dee Williams) handles a lot of this material with style. There's some eye candy on display (but no nudity), and the violence is potent all the way through the film. There's no shortage of slimy, reprehensible white villains to have fun booing; if nothing else, "Black Gunn" is enjoyable on a visceral level.

Brown is one cool customer, as so many of the best protagonists were in this sort of thing. You won't see him change his facial expression often, but you WILL see him take some lumps before this is over. However, as the primary nemesis, Martin Landau is almost thoroughly wasted, giving orders and throwing his weight around, but you never do see very much of the character.

Familiar faces scattered throughout the supporting cast also help to make it fun: Brenda Sykes (as Browns' gal pal), Luciana Paluzzi, Stephen McNally, Keefe Brasselle, Timothy Brown, William Campbell, Bernie Casey, Gary Conway, Tony Young, Jeannie Bell. The movie has a particularly strong role for Bruce Glover (of "Diamonds are Forever" fame) as a creepy white strong-arm man. He makes your skin crawl whenever he's on camera.

The dynamic cast and the equally dynamic soundtrack (composed by Tony Osborne) make this a most agreeable (if forgettable) way to kill an hour and 37 minutes.

Seven out of 10.