Disco Godfather

On recommendation of one of my friends, I picked up this movie. It was at Wal-Mart on DVD for $10, so why not?

The many disco scenes were refreshing to see, and seeing Rudy Ray Moore himself get down to the disco grooves was highly impressive. However, this is not one of his best works!

A large portion of this movie is just Rudy Ray saying how much he hates those who use PCP, and keep it on the streets. He's going to get revenge by [messing] up some mother[messers]!

Personally, I like my Dolemite movies with a ton of cursing and lots of action scene, not a serious message. However, the "trip" scenes, where people are freaking out because of the PCP, are well worth this. Quite possibly some of the freakiest cinematography I've ever seen.

I liked this movie mostly for the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes. Everything else is just filler, so you might as well watch the first fifteen minutes, go to any Drug Abuse information site and learn about PCP on your own, then come back and watch the last.

OVERALL, I would give this movie a 8/10, because the good outweighs the bad. Must see if you are a fan of Mr. Rudy Ray Moore.

A retired cop becomes a DJ/celebrity at the Blueberry Hill disco -- he is the Disco Godfather! All is well until his nephew flips out on a strange new drug that is sweeping the streets, called "angel dust" or PCP.

What the heck is this? A disco movie? A drug movie? A police movie? I have no idea, and it seems that nobody else does either. And yet, it works... goodness gracious, it works. This is one crazy film and anyone who is into b-movies or cult films is sure to enjoy it.

I do not know much about PCP, but the effects it has on the people in this movie definitely make me want to stay away. These same effects might cause other people to seek the drug out. More than 30 different analogues of PCP were reported as being used on the street during the 1970s and 1980s, though, so who knows what you might be getting.

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.

"Put your weight on it, put your weight on it!" Rudy Ray Moore scores big with another memorable blaxploitation hit. That's right, Rudy's back and he brought with him a great theme song boasting his title as the Disco Godfather. Rudy plays ex-cop Tucker Williams who's become the best DJ in town. But when his nephew Bucky turns to drugs, then Rudy Ray turns into Dolemite.....whoops, I mean the a$$ whooping, drug bashing, head whacking, Godfather of the Disco. They don't get much funnier than The Disco Godfather. Especially the PCP trips that Bucky endures and the drug ward of the hospital where everyone is "whacked" out of their heads. It's not as good as Dolemite, but Rudy's still the man. Can you dig it? So if you're looking for a good time, then Rudy Ray is "your tower of power, the man of the hour, too darn sweet to be sour!"

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.