Black Eye

Fred Williamson ('Black Caesar', 'Vigilante', 'From Dusk Til Dawn') was one of the coolest and most charismatic blaxploitation stars of the 1970s, but 'Black Eye' is by no means one of his best movies. Williamson himself is pretty good as always, but the pedestrian script and lacklustre direction (by Jack Arnold, who later worked with Williamson on the lame Western comedy 'Boss N*igger') don't do him any favours. Arnold directed 1950s classic 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' and 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', but had been mainly working in TV, and I think it really shows. 'Black Eye' feels like a TV pilot. It's like blaxploitation-lite. Williamson plays an ex-cop investigating the murder of a call girl and the theft of a walking stick she had stolen from a recently deceased Hollywood movie star. The trail leads him to a drug ring, porno movies and a religious cult, which sounds very Dashiell Hammett and interesting, but it isn't. It's very dull and never picks up steam. The supporting cast includes two actors familiar to 70s TV viewers, Richard Anderson ('The Six Million Dollar Man's Oscar Goldman), and the foxy Teresa Graves ('Get Christie Love'). Graves had previously co-starred with Fred Williamson in 'That Man Bolt', which may not be my favourite Williamson vehicle, but it was a damn site more entertaining than this! I say give 'Black Eye' a miss unless you're an obsessive fan of "The Hammer". If you haven't seen it, you really aren't missing much. Newcomers to Williamson are advised to go directly to Larry Cohen's brilliant 'Black Caesar' which features a dynamite Williamson performance, and a super cool score from The Godfather Of Soul James Brown.

A woman steals the walking cane of a Hollywood olden days star during his funeral. LA private eye Shep Stone (Fred Williamson) is soon entangled in the case leading to murders, a religious cult, and a drug ring.

This is in the hard-boiled private eye genre and a blaxploitation film. It's blaxploitation due to the times and its targeting of the black audience. In the modern sense, this would just be another movie with above average black content. The story meanders around with some violence and limited action. It is more a sense of its times that is fascinating. For a side note, I kept waiting for someone to get a black eye when I realized that he's black and he's a private eye. The title should probably be Big Black Private D. This movie is generally fine. It has nothing exceptional and nothing terribly wrong. It's fine.

So it's now years after previously watching the other movie director Jack Arnold and star Fred Williamson did together which was Boss N!gger which they actually made after this one. That one I found a lot of fun. This one is also pretty exciting but it may disappoint anyone who expect some nudity or really intense action for a '70s Blaxploitation picture. Fred is a private detective who gets mixed up in a porno ring and religious cult because of some cane from a late movie star. All I'll mention now is that I mostly enjoyed this one especially when Williamson encounters such familiar faces like Richard "Oscar Goldman" Anderson, Teresa "Laugh-In" Graves before then starring in "Get Christie Love", and Teddy "Sweet Daddy" Wilson which he would play on "Good Times" a little later in the decade. So that's a recommendation for Black Eye.

BLACK EYE (2 outta 5 stars) Unimaginatively-filmed '70s action movie looks like it was made for TV... only the occasional cuss word and a subplot about lesbianism tip you off that the movie was actually made to be shown in theatres. Fred Williamson plays a tough guy ex-cop who becomes a tough guy private eye. He stumbles upon a couple of murders and attempted murders linked to a mysterious cane. There are some fistfights, a Bullit-inspired car chase, a fairly original elevator scene and even time for Williamson to confront the rich, lesbian lover of his girlfriend (Teresa Graves). There is also a scene with Williamson bullying a poor old man by tearing up some priceless old autographed photos in his memorabilia shop. Yeah, way to go, tough guy... maybe you can find a cripple to beat up later? Obviously meant to cash in on the success of "Shaft" (this and about six thousand other movies), this movie doesn't have enough edge or enough originality to make much of an impression.

I've read a lot about how Fred Williamson was one of the primary blaxploitation stars back in the '70s. His sideburns give him an extra cool look. He also appeared in "The Inglorious Bastards" (whose title Quentin Tarantino famously borrowed) and "From Dusk Til Dawn". "Black Eye" doesn't really come across as a blaxploitation flick. It's got some of the things generally associated with the genre, but it's too low-key to authentically belong in the same category as "Shaft" and "Superfly". Maybe it's just in the wrong hands: director Jack Arnold notably directed movies like "The Incredible Shrinking Man". It's not a bad movie but I don't think it correct to call it blaxploitation.