Freie Fahrt ins Jenseits

Pop (Scatman Crothers) is a womanizing, gambling caricature, but he has a piece of property the Mob wants. He and his friends, win the first battle, but the Mob and their henchmen are persistent.

Jim Kelly Enter the Dragon, Three the Hard Way) is Black Belt Jones, and the action sequences certainly make up for the lack of acting ability.

Ah, but it is Florida Seminole Gloria Hendry (Across 110th Street, Black Caesar, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off) that attracts me to the film, and she doesn't disappoint.

Malik Carter (Cobra, Pervert!) as Pinky, the tool for the Mob was hilarious. he is the quintessential caricature of blaxploitation.

"Black Belt Jones" is one of the most fun movies to come out of the 1970s. It's a rousing and funny mixture of martial arts action and blaxploitation as the cool-as-can-be title character (Jim Kelly) takes on all comers. BBJ works at a karate school run by cheerful Papa Byrd (Scatman Crothers, as wonderful as he's ever been). The Mafia wants the property, and one night they go too far and murder Papa. His long estranged daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry) comes home to join BBJ and help him fight the good fight.

Film director Robert Clouse, who'd worked with Kelly on the martial arts classic "Enter the Dragon", doesn't try to reinvent the wheel here. He just serves up a lot of nifty combat (choreographed by Robert Wall) and other assorted set pieces, while combining all of it with a great deal of comedy. There's no graphic violence to offend some viewers, just a lot of good thrills and laughs. The movie is rated R mostly for profanity. The unqualified highlight is undeniably the amazing final battle because it's set at a car wash and many of the combatants end up covered in suds.

The characters are all very damn entertaining, too. Kelly is not a great actor but he is a great action hero. Sexy Miss Hendry is a feisty leading lady, and holds her own all the way through. You have to love her reaction when it's suggested that she "do the dishes". Eric Laneuville, Alan Weeks, Andre Philippe, Vincent Barbi, Mel Novak, and Nate Esformes are fine in support, but the show is largely stolen by Malik Carter as aggressive bad guy Pinky. At one point, he launches into a priceless rhyming routine about his love of money. Crothers is such a hoot as the rascally Papa. You haven't lived until you've seen him with that rug on his head, and watched him attempt to bust out karate moves. Marla Gibbs, Henry Kingi, and Ted Lange have uncredited bits.

A lively, invigorating diversion, underscored by superior music by Luchi De Jesus.

Now let's all go to McDonald's!

Eight out of 10.

Well here's a movie for you! Black Belt Jones is a must for aficionados of martial arts films, blaxpoitation films, and cult films in general. It boasts probably the funniest opening fight scene that I've ever seen (unintentional or not? it's difficult to tell in this film; I have an acute feeling that everyone was just joking around and having a lot of fun), in which Jim Kelly aka Black Belt Jones (one of the greatest character names in cinema history, to be sure) ends the thing by shooting a bullet into a man's ass. It also boasts maybe the only fight scene where Scatman Crothers kicks some butt. And a scene where Jim Kelly kicks about a dozen guys out of train windows. And a set piece where everyone battles it out in a car wash with bubbly soap covering the scenery. The guy who plays Sidney also played the young black kid in The Omega Man, the one whom Charlton Heston tried to save. It also contains more abuse to the testicles than any film I've ever seen - none of the good guys have any qualms in the least about attacking the male package. If you see it with a bunch of guys, expect loud groaning all through the film. However much camp value there is, it does grow old during the course of the film. It's still a funny and distracting film. 7/10

i think this film belongs to the genre of 70's blaxploitation/martial arts/action.regardless,i really enjoyed it.i thought it was a real blast.there's plenty of martial arts action.there's also a lot of funny scenes,some i'm sure are intentional,and some that might not be.the acting wasn't that bad,in my opinion.it wasn't Oscar Worthy or anything,but i don't think it was supposed to be.the music was kinda cheesy but it grew on me after awhile.this was actually the first movie i've seen of this genre.i picked it as part of a four pack of movies of the same genre.i'll definitely be checking out the other three very soon.The other three titles are "Black Samson","Hot Potato",and "Three the Hard Way".for me,Black Belt Jones is a 7/10

How can you not love Black Belt Jones. Jim Kelly is an icon of the 1970's, most notably for his work in bruce's Lee's Enter The Dragon. He is great in this B-grade, self aware Blaxploitation film. It is kelly, sticking up for his friends trying to save a Karate school from being pushed out by the Mob as part of a redevelopment project. It is hokey. It is funny. It is way too politically incorrect to be made today. It is low budget but it is fun. The fight scenes and action and campy music all make the time pass quickly. The characters are all intentionally steriotypical. I Loved it for what it is.