Supervuelo TNT

Superfly T.N.T is a highly entertaining sequel which deserves more credit than it very often gets. I loved everything about this one with the exception of the soundtrack (I liked this soundtrack but missed Curtis Mayfield) and the film's finale (which doesn't end on as high a note as the original film since this time Priest's new line of hustling has just started). Alex Haley and Ron O'Neal did excellent work on this film. Haley's script is both powerful and fun. O'Neal makes a good directorial debut. He's even better in the role of Priest this time than in the original Superfly. Superfly T.N.T. has a fine cast too. It's one of my favorite films of the era and my favorite of the three Superfly movies (although they are all worth seeing). This is a great film if you can accept the soundtrack (very appropriate but not as cool as Mayfield) and the finale (Priest's work has just begun so there's no easy ending). God Bless Ron O'Neal and Alex Haley.

This movie bored the snot out of me.

I had seen the original Superfly first. I wanted more of the same. Butt kicking, hard slapping, big bad PIMPING.

This movie has a retired Priest, (aka Superfly, the hero of the first film) living it up in Rome, approached by a wannabe rebel leader from a small West African nation, trying to get out from under the yoke of colonial oppression by THE MAN. He wants Priest to run some guns into the war-torn African nation for him.

Imagine my shock when I discovered just now that this film was co-written by ALEX HALEY, the author of the fantastic "Roots." That first came on TV when I was a kid, as one of the last of the big network television "events" before Cable TV really got wide latitude. That was along lines of The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (before my time) a Super Bowl, or the "Who Shot J.R." episode (I remember that hype too). But "Roots" was a great piece of art, and I mean EVERYBODY but EVERYBODY watched it, whatever color your skin happened to be.

This movie was a waste and a disaster, but I guess Alex Haley is where the idea of the African setting came from (idle speculation on my part).

Anyway, I guess they were trying to do something new with the character, but the concept was utterly wrong-headed from the start. The movie is also REALLY SLOW. It takes about 45 minutes before he gets to Africa! Too long! And the whole side story with Robert Guillame as a fellow American in Rome, an artist with a fantastic singing voice, was just a waste of time.

Original Superfly: 8 out of 10. This tripe: 3 out of 10.

It's still much better than THE GUY FROM HARLEM, though.

Ron O'Neal isn't merely fly; he isn't even simply Super Fly. He's nothing less than Super Fly TNT, tooling around Rome in an expensive-looking car, dressing like a runway model and being asked by Roscoe Lee Brown (who's sporting a French accent) to come to Africa to save them from Whitey.

O'Neal, however, has to spend the first hour or so of the movie looking fabulous for going horse riding , before he grows bored in eight seconds at a poker game, flies down to Africa, is immediately stripped and whipped by some very white guys, imprisoned, escapes, and saves the world.

Alex Haley got paid for helping write this. I hope he thinks he got paid enough for the hit to his reputation.

I recently watched Super Fly T. N. T (1973) on Facebook. The storyline follows Super Fly, who has retired from the street life and moved to Rome. As he attempts to settle down and distance himself from his past, he encounters new people who remind him of his responsibility to guide others along a different path. Initially hesitant, our hero must decide whether to show others that success and happiness can be found outside of hustling and drugs.

Directed by and starring Ron O'Neal (Up Against the Wall), the film also features notable actors like Roscoe Lee Brown (Logan's Run), Sheila Frazier (Three the Hard Way), Robert Guillaume (Benson), Jacques Sernas (Helen of Troy) and William Berger (Hercules).

While this movie has all the ingredients for a worthwhile picture, they somehow aren't blended smoothly for the viewer's journey. The beautiful settings are underutilized, and although the dialogue is well-written, the self-reflection and comedy detract from the primary plot. The self-reflection could have been more effectively integrated. Additionally, while the horseback riding scenes are humorous, they feel somewhat out of place based on the character. However, the soundtrack and jive elements, as expected, add to the film's appeal.

In conclusion, Super Fly T. N. T contains some worthwhile bits and pieces but falls short as a whole. I would rate it 4/10 but still recommend watching it at least once.

The premise of this sequel is not a bad one: a retired Priest, living in Europe, has his conscious stirred by African rebels needing help overthrowing their colonial government, and decides to help them. However, this movie takes forever to get started, and then takes forever to get to an end that feels unsatisfying and unfinished. Unlike the first movie, the musical score is terrible. It's no wonder this movie bombed in theaters and took forever to be released on video.