Brotherhood of Death

Aesthetically speaking, this isn't a very good movie. There wasn't much of a budget, the actors well mostly amateurs (including several Washington Redskins football players in leading roles) and the film would never be mistaken for Shakespeare....yet somehow I still enjoyed it all very much. I think it's because despite some lousy scenes (particularly the ones supposedly set in Vietnam), there was an energy about the film and the violence didn't seem excessive--despite it being a violent film.

A group of Black soldiers are home from the war and head to a small Southern town. The town is dominated by a group of Klansmen who keep the Black majority from voting or being treated like human beings. However, these newcomers convince the local population to register to vote so they can take back power and achieve justice. When hundreds show up to register, the Klan responds with violence. Eventually, though, the Black community has little choice other than fight back and the film ends with a small war between these combat vets and the Klan.

The film did a good job of capturing the new and hopeful mood of Black America and it also, believe it or not, showed some restraint. The Black men in this film wanted to do the right thing and not take the law into their own hands. They wanted to work within the system. When the somewhat sympathetic sheriff was killed by the Klan and they took over the job of policing the town, there could have just been a free for all or mob violence. Sure, some evil White supremacists were killed in the end, but only after the Black men showed a lot of restraint and really had no other choice. It was not a "hate White folks" film, but was intelligently handled.

By the way, as far as football players Roy Jefferson, Mike Thomas and Mike Bass are concerned, they were competent but that's about all. As a result of their often lackluster performances, Jefferson and Thomas never made another film and Bass only appeared in one more film more than a decade later. I grew up a Redskin fan but this film convinced me that they were smart to keep their day jobs! By the way, this is NOT a film for the kids. There is some nudity, a rape scene (thankfully not too graphic) and a lot of shooting.

There appear among the stars of this little-known Black exploitation vehicle several 1970's National Football League players, who played mostly in the Baltimore/Washington area: Roy Jefferson (he was a Wide Receiver with the Chargers and Baltimore Colts), Mike Bass (he was a defensive back with the Washington Redskins), Mike Thomas (he was a running back with the Washington Redskins), and Frank Grant, who was a wide receiver. Several of the other actors may also have been pro athletes, such as Dennis Johnson (there was a Dennis Johnson who was a 1970's guard with the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns) and Larry Jones. For most, this is their only movie "credit."

The story of 3 friends who go through the Vietnam War, and return to the deep south, only to have to fight the white supremacists back home. They fight fire with fire. There's no pacifism in this flick starring 3 different 1970's NFL stars. All in all this is a one-dimensional story of racism, and I have no huge desire to ever see this again. It is run of the mill good black men against evil white supremacists, the same story we have seen a million times before. It does have some good shootouts, and clever tricks, and the funk music never stops, but all in all nothing spectacular. However if you are a fan of Blaxploitation check out; you might get more out of it than me.

BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH is the story of a group of black friends who return to their hometown after a stint in Vietnam. Fed up with the harassment and abuse from the "Nighthawks of the Ku Klux Klan" they decide to organize black voter registration to take control of their town. Of course, the KKK (and their pink robed Grand Cyclops!) won't stand for this, and so the battle between the Klan and the black Nam vets begins.....

With the exception of the sympathetic Sheriff, the white characters are cartoonishly evil goons. What do you expect though? The soundtrack is repetitive, but funky, if you like that sort of thing. The only thing this movie might be good at is explaining civics to a group of fifth graders. The rest of you will probably be bored to tears....

If you pick this one up, check out the beginning and the end only. Or better yet watch the trailer, as it has ALL of the good scenes from the movie condensed into about three minutes.

"Brotherhood of Death" is no classic of its genre, but remains pretty watchable throughout, no matter if it isn't particularly slick or the story isn't that strong. It's still fun to watch some cool brothers kick some seriously nasty racist honky ass. Any stature the movie might have would derive from its casting of a couple of NFL legends - Roy Jefferson, Mike Thomas, Mike Bass, Frank Grant - some in key roles. In any event, this is reasonable visceral entertainment with appropriately loathsome villains and a fairly short running time of a mere 78 minutes.

Raymond Moffat (Jefferson), Ned Tiese (Le Tari), and Junior Moffat (Haskell V. Anderson III) are three friends who go off to fight in Vietnam and come home to find the KKK raising some hell in their hometown. The Klan will go so far as to rape one black woman. While Raymond, Ned, and Junior do have at least one local white - the sheriff (Bryan Clark) - who is more or less on their side, they find that they will have to take matters into their own hands and stand up for themselves. They motivate their people to stand up for the right to vote, which only serves to anger the local white community.

"Brotherhood of Death" lacks any really good, memorable set pieces, but it's exploitative enough to suit some tastes, and it doesn't waste much time. As was already said, it's no problem to root for the heroes every step of the way, and take pleasure in the comeuppance of their adversaries. The movie does get off to a funky start with that "Get Off Your High Horse" theme song. The acting won't overwhelm you but it IS pretty sincere; Jefferson, Tari, and Anderson are engaging leads. And Brian Donohue is a solid villain as bigoted deputy Myrick.

The ending should send you away with a smile on your face. This movie may not be remarkable in any way, but it's still enjoyable for fans of this genre.

Six out of 10.