Boss Nigger

Boss Ni*ger (1975)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Boss (Fred Williamson) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) are bounty hunters who travel to a small town being ran by a corrupt Mayor. Boss is waiting on a bad guy to show up and in the mean time decides to make himself Sheriff, which doesn't sit well with the racist white locals but they're going to learn that there's one way to do things and that's up to the Boss. In case you didn't read the title, this here is blaxploitation 101 and without question the best I've seen from the genre. Director Arnold is best known for CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON but he handles this material perfectly and not only delivers the perfect blaxploitation movies but also a pretty good Western. What works best here is Williamson's screenplay, which clearly shows that he knows how to write dialogue but it also shows he's just as brave as the characters he plays because there are all sorts of rules broken here and this helps keep the viewer on high alert because you never know what's going to happen. Every racist remake ever made towards a black person are present here and played for laughs in how over the top they are but they then lead to some hard hitting action as Williamson really does lay down the Hammer. The racial slurs are downright hilarious especially one scene where a dumb redneck tells Williamson to "shine his shoes" and the Hammer goes up to him acting like a shoe shiner. The way Williamson plays this and eventually pays it off is just downright brilliant and is clearly a highlight of the genre. Some get shot while others are forced to keep handing money over in fines but the Hammer deals with them all. What I respect most about the film and its screenplay is that Williamson isn't afraid to not play by the rules and the reason I say this is because certain people are killed throughout and these are the type of people that never get killed in films like this. The action scenes are great as are the stunts and Arnold knows how to use the slow motion oh so well. In some ways this film spoofs BLAZING SADDLES, which is pretty funny considering that film was a spoof to begin with. The sensitive should probably stay clear but if you want brave and fun film-making than this here is the top of the blaxploitation genre.

I had wanted to see this movie for a long time, but I could never find it in any video rental stores. The reason for that probably is the provocative title. I finally got a copy of it for a Christmas present and I sat down to enjoy it. I found some things about the movie enjoyable. As others have said here, the title song is very memorable, though the funk music score elsewhere in the movie is equally enjoyable despite not being western-flavor. Also, Williamson's performance here is great. He makes for a charismatic (and amusing) hero that you hope will succeed, and his abusing of the racist town citizens is good for some laughs.

In fact, Williamson's performance comes close to saving the movie - but the movie ultimately disappoints. It's a low-budget movie, with frequent camera set-ups that were obviously set up quickly. As Williamson's sidekick, D'Urville Martin is mostly wasted. In fact, it wouldn't take very much rewriting to remove his character from the script. Speaking of the script, it is filled with scenes that seem to fill no purpose, and partly because of that the movie is VERY slow-moving at times. If all this fat were cut out, the movie would be much, much shorter-running.

If you decide to watch this movie, a warning about the DVD. Although it's presented at its correct aspect ration (2.35:1), the print looks very crummy, and the audio is weak as well.

I saw the trailer for this on you tube and I laughed for 10 minutes straight ! I decided then to purchase the DVD . I like Fred Williamson , but I have found his filmography to be hit and miss. This movie is quite enjoyable actually and delivers the goods with the action and comedy. Plus we get an awesome Shaft like theme song, while there are better westerns and black exploitation films . This is a solid b movie with a great supporting cast . D'Urville Martin is great as Boss 's sidekick. Not to mention William Smith and R.G. Armstrong are great villains . In less p.c times this was considered fun for the whole family . So round up the whole family and watch Fred Williamson stick it to the man!

Two black cowboys ride majestically across the American plain. The music is a kind of funk-Morricone, with a singer enthusiastically explaining that "They call him Boss. BOSS N*GGER!" A black woman is being assaulted by a group of white cowboys, our black heroes intervene and save this damsel in distress.

A blaxploitation Western was bound to happen eventually, and its a good thing Fred Williamson got there first. What Boss N*gger lacks in technical proficiency and skill it makes up for in heart and soul. The music is funktacular, especially the catchy theme tune, and the acting from our heroes is wonderful. Boss N*gger also boasts some very funny lines, such as Boss kissing a white woman, before going, "that's just to satisfy your curiosity."

It's slow at parts, but the idea of two black bounty hunters coming to a white town and setting their own rules is appealing, and the film pulls it off. There are also some great shootouts, especially the finale, which is really quite exhilarating, and features a remarkable, almost downbeat ending. This film is by no means a masterpiece, but it is one of the best blaxploitation films I've seen, and an admirable effort on a small budget.

Fred Williamson and D'urville Martin are two black bounty hunters that stumble into a town that is sorely in need of a sheriff. So what do they do? Why make themselves the sheriff and deputy of course. Now we know the white folk won't take a liking to that, especially the local bandit (played by William Smith) and his gang a' crackers. Not particularly distinguished from the blaxploitation Western sub-sub genre and not nearly as wild as the name suggests, 'Boss N!gger' is still good fun with a lot of humor (supplied mostly by Martin) and well-directed action scenes.