Youngblood

Caught this for free on YouTube and might primarily be some sort of nostalgia and maybe my memory is failing me but not a lot of movies about young black youth were made in the 1970's. Just enjoyed it for what it was. Young black dude making his way through the streets.

The admitedly great soundtrack by War is probably the official reason why YOUNGBLOOD has never been released on video or DVD (licensing issues.) However, I'm pretty sure the movie's current owners (MGM) see that there probably wouldn't be that much call for the movie if they were able to iron out the music rights. It certainly has its moments - some great fight choreography, for one thing, and the cast is pretty decent - but at the end you have to wonder what the point was, especially since that ending happens at a point when it seems that there is still a substantial part of the story yet to go! It's also pretty slow-going at times, and your impatience just increases by some unbelievably stupid decisions by the characters. All in all, it's just one more piece of evidence to prove that American-International was much better at making in-house product than contracting outside production companies to make product for them.

Watch it. Don't expect 2021 cgi. Fuks that review it have no understanding of black culture or even human culture. This film is way ahead of it's time.

Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was the box office draw, but the focus of Youngblood is actually the title character, played with reasonable conviction by What's Happening! semi-regular Bryan O'Dell. He's a not so street smart kid who wants to run with the Kingsmen, a local gang headed by Hilton-Jacobs, a returned Vietnam vet. The Kingsmen spend a lot of time drinking, beating up rival gang members, and abusing each other, but that doesn't mean they don't have a social conscience: when they lose a member to smack, the hunt is on for the dope pushers peddling junk in the 'hood. The story is familiar but is helped along by a uniformly good cast. War's score is excellent, especially the title track and Galaxy, featured in a disco scene heavily reminiscent of Soooooouuullllll Train. Watch for Ron Neal (Superfly) in a brief cameo as a high school gym teacher.

I recently watched Youngblood (1978) on Tubi. The storyline follows a 15-year-old boy in Los Angeles who has a successful older brother trying to pull his family out of the ghetto, but the younger brother is unsure if he wants to leave. When one of his friends dies of a drug overdose, he joins a gang and wants to help them get revenge. Can the older brother save the young man before he gets too deep and can't get out?

This film is directed by Noel Nosseck (Best Friends) and stars Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (LA Heat), Renn Woods (Return to Green Acres), Bryan O'Dell (Street Wars), and Art Evans (Die Hard 2).

This is an underrated addition to the blaxploitation genre. The settings, attire, hairstyles, and dialogue all fit the premise perfectly. This is a well-written and well-cast film. The situations feel authentic and depict real family struggles. The storyline unfolds well, and the concluding shootout is perfect. The soundtrack is also excellent.

In conclusion, Youngblood is a worthy and underrated addition to the blaxploitation genre that's worth viewing. I'd score this a 6.5/10 and recommend seeing for fans of the genre.