Le camé

Another blaxploitation home run from Rudy Ray Moore, star of Petey Wheatstraw and the Dolemite films. Cheap, amateurish, often unintentionally hilarious film about one man's crusade to rid of the streets of "the whack" -- aka angel dust or PCP -- after his nephew Bucky freaks out on the drug. If you've seen a Rudy Ray Moore film before, you know what kind of craziness to expect. If you haven't, you're in for a treat.

First, take whatever you know about movies and throw it out the window. There is no professional filmmaking going on here. It's all crudely staged, badly acted, and poorly written. Well, assuming it's actually written at all. I get the feeling with Moore's films a large amount of the dialogue is made up on the spot. Now this sounds fairly terrible and on an artistic and technical level it is. But you don't watch these movies because they're actually good films. You watch them because they are so bad they're funny.

The action scenes are a farce. Grown men pretending to use kung-fu on one another, emulating what they saw in Bruce Lee movies. Hands and feet supposedly striking but not coming within a foot of their target. There's a hilariously bad sex scene between Moore and a woman that should come as a surprise to no one, given Moore's somewhat effeminate mannerisms.

One of my favorite scenes is where the frustrated doctor cries out to God: "Where are you Mister? Are you with us or just in our minds?" Who would have thought you would find religious metaphysics in a movie called Disco Godfather? But the highlights of the movie for most people would be the PCP hallucination scenes, as well as just about any line Moore delivers in his trademark amateur style.

If you enjoy blaxploitation films or if you enjoy poorly made films that are good for unintended laughs, then give Disco Godfather a shot. While you're at it, try out some of Moore's other movies. Especially Petey Wheatsraw, the Devil's Son-in-Law.

Disco Godfather is, quite possibly, the worst film ever made. I think that Rudy Ray Moore could have feasibly wiped his tail with the celluloid and the end result would have been a more worthy feature.

Then again, Disco Godfather is probably one of the most entertaining movies I've ever seen. Aside from the three-hour-long roller-skate-disco-dance sequences and the rants about the evils of PCP, the film (and I say "film") is a karate-fightin', rappin-rhymin', booty-shakin', disco-quakin' good time! When Rudy Ray delivers lines like "But how? AND WHY?" with a knowing glance toward his captivated audience, you know you are putty in the hands of a master craftsman. The film's supa-fly climax, a spontaneous kung-fu fest at a PCP warehouse, is one of cinema's finest moments. Just sit back, let the fists fly, and let the carefree spirit of Rudy Ray Moore's 1970's America take you away.

Rudy Ray Moore's performance in the Disco Godfather is a thing of beauty. Classic lines include "Why, Why 143?", "You call him in Florida little lady, I got a friend out there.......alone", "Call the ambulance and when they get here, tell the driver what he has hayad". All great, and the continued run ins with telephone man are classics as well. Nothing can keep the laughs from coming when he attempts to knock the phone man out with the wrench, and then exclaims "Damn!". Great movie, a little slow at times(the drug political speech) but definitely good enough to put your weight on it put your weight on it put your weight on it!

Disco Godfather is the best film ever (next to Death Drug and Slithis, of course. It is the story of Tucker Williams (the immortal Rudy Ray Moore), an ex-cop, who now runs the Blueberry Hill Disco joint. He is the one, and only "Disco Godfather"!! His entrance in the film is classic.

Tucker's nephew "Bucky", a talented basketball player, hooks up with the wrong crowd. One night at the disco, Bucky smokes too much angel dust, and gets really "whacked out." The Disco Godfather vows to "Really take it to the suckas that's producin' this sheeyit!" This movie has the anti PCP legacy that Death Drug tried so hard to mimic. Disco Godfather also shows Rudy Ray at his best. Listen as he says "put your weight on it" and "You stupid sonofa beeyitch!!" about 181 million times. He also gives the best delivery of the word "Damn" I have ever witnessed. Another great element of Disco Godfather is the PCP expert. This "doctor" looks like a jazz keyboardist, and he runs his own little PCP ward at the hospital. His dialouge is so choice, if you can make it out. If you can sit through this one, you will not be disappointed! Long live Dolomite!

Rudy Ray Moore is at his most amusing in this late-in-the-game Blaxploitation entry, playing Tucker Williams, the bombastic owner of a disco nightclub. When Tuckers' nephew Bucky (Julius J. Carry III, "The Last Dragon") flips out after taking angel dust, Tucker vows to do his part in eliminating this nasty drug from the streets of the 'hood. His nemesis will be the flamboyant Stinger Ray (Hawthorne James, "Speed"), a legitimate businessman who also dabbles in crime, and who wants to create a new basketball league that will hire castoffs from the NBA.

"Disco Godfather" is not particularly slick or distinguished, but it still does its job, entertaining solidly for 98 straight minutes. It alternates between taking itself seriously as a message movie, and pulling out all the stops in various music / dance sequences. The soundtrack is great funky stuff all the way, serving as perfect accompaniment for these wacky goings-on. In addition to various martial arts action scenes, the film gives us assorted doses of surrealism in the attempt to approximate the hallucinations that the drug users experience. It's weird, wild, consistently amusing nonsense.

RRM is fun, and is particularly hilarious when the script calls for him to emote. He's enthusiastically supported by old cohorts like Lady Reed (as Mrs. Edwards) and Jerry Jones (as Dr. Fred Mathis). James is a hoot as the villain, while Carry has an appealing presence as the kid who could potentially be throwing his basketball career down the drain. A young Keith David ("The Thing" '82, "They Live") makes his uncredited film debut in a bit role as a club patron.

Fun stuff overall.

Seven out of 10.