Coltfighter

Judging by the other user-comments around here, apparently I'm not the only one who's disappointed by this seemingly awesome early '80s reunion of '70s Blaxploitation heroes. Your day can't get any better than when you stumble upon a DVD with on its trashy cover image the names and cool faces of Fred Williamson ("Black Ceasar"), Jim Brown ("Slaughter"), Richard Roundtree ("Shaft") and Jim Kelly ("Black Belt Jones"). When you then notice that Fred Williamson is also the director, and that the plot revolves on four black buddies declaring war against the entire New York gambling mafia, you immediately purchase the DVD and you're convinced that you have a genuinely golden piece of Blaxploitation action cinema in your hands! Unfortunately, however, "One Down, Two to Go" doesn't even come close to the quality level of other Blaxploitation classics (the aforementioned titles, for example) and the whole film is actually even less than mediocre. The script is weak and far too talkative, especially during the first half, and the fighting/action sequences are poorly shot and clumsy. Furthermore it seems like the main roles aren't fairly divided. Director Williamson once again rewarded himself with the role of the cool and womanizing macho, while Jim Brown acts very passively and both Richard Roundtree and Jim Kelly don't have that much to do. At one point Roundtree's character even explicitly says to his pals Cal and J: "you guys are having all the fun, save some for me!" As said, this is purely a film to own in your collection because of the 4 terrific lead stars, although personally I would have preferred seeing a couple of extra ones as well, like Isaac Hayes or Billy Dee Williams. Or why didn't they think of hiring a Blaxploitation heroine as well, like the fantastic Pam Grier or Tamara Dobson?

One Down, Two To Go is a later blaxsploitation/action movie that was directed/produced and acted by Fred Williamson. The Hammer brought along Richard Roundtree, Jim Brown and Jim Kelly to join the party. The film is in no way a bad movie, but the pacing and script don't do the high powered cast of 70's black tough guys justice. There is plenty of action and trash talking, but a lot of the film is boring and takes a while to get there. It picks up once Fred Williamson and Jim Brown show up. Richard Roundtree didn't get enough screentime to utilize his full potential and Jim Kelly gets hardly any screentime. This film was the last of three films that Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and Jim Kelly acted together in. I much prefer Three The Hard Way over this, but there were parts of this movie that I did find entertaining.

One Down, Two to Go (1982)

** (out of 4)

Chuck (Jim Kelly) and his crew enter a martial arts tournament, which they win but the mob decides not to pay them. Soon a friend is severely beaten so Cal (Fred Williamson) and J (Jim Brown) show up to show them who's the real boss.

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO was directed by Williamson and it features four of the major stars from the 70's blaxploitation films. You've got SHAFT (Richard Roundtree), SLAUGHTER (Brown), HAMMER (Williamson) and BLACK BELT JONES (Kelly) all in one movie so what's not to like? Well, there's quite a bit not to like in this film, which is really too bad since you've got so many greats in one film.

Sadly, the screenplay itself is pretty much a mess for a number of reasons. The film starts off with a bunch of martial arts footage, which is fun to watch on its own but it probably shouldn't have been in this film. From here there are way too many boring dialogue sequences, which just don't go anywhere and especially when you'e got four masters of the genre on the screen. What you want to see them do is fight, blow stuff up and kill bad guys. We eventually get to that stuff and that's when the entertainment level goes way up.

The film suffers from a very low-budget, which prevents the action from looking the greatest but for this type of films it's okay. Of course, the best thing about the picture is getting to see the four stars in one picture. The majority of the film is based around the Williamson and Brown characters, which is fine as they add a lot to the picture. Both Kelly and Roundtree are basically extended cameos but it's still nice to see them. Fans of MANIAC will enjoy seeing Joe Spinell in a brief scene and we also get Tom Signorelli.

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO isn't a masterpiece or even a good movie but it's mild entertainment, which should have been much better.

With this once-in-a-lifetime cast (reuniting the four greatest blaxploitation stars of the early seventies), this picture should be more fun than it is. Someone seems to have drained the life out of these performers; Jim Brown, in particular, comes off very badly (judging only from this movie, you'd come to the conclusion that he can't act). The film is also poorly structured, keeping the stars away from each other (and from any enjoyable interaction) for laaaaarge periods of time. And Williamson must have really had it in for Jim Kelly; he barely gives him 1/5 of the screen time devoted to the other leads, and he features him in only two brief fight scenes (he even loses in one of them!). Cool score, though. (*1/2)

One Down, Two to Go (1982) is a movie I recently rewatched on Tubi for the first time in a long time. The storyline follows two police officers whose friend is shot and beat after he discovers a fixed fight tournament. The two cops track him down and also uncover who is behind the fixed fight tournament. Can they crack the case in time to save their friend? This movie is directed by and stars Fred Williamson (The Big Score) and also stars Jim Brown (Dirty Dozen), Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon), Richard Roundtree (Shaft) and Tom Signorelli (Sleepers). The storyline for this is a bit cliché but fun to watch unfold. I really loved the fights and shootouts, even if at times they're a bit clunky and awkward. The acting and charisma by Williamson, Roundtree, Kelly and Brown are all on display in their unique and entertaining way. Overall this isn't the best blaxploitation film from the 70s but it is worth a viewing. I would score this a solid 6/10.