Melinda

This is one in a long line of blaxploitation films made during the 70's that were designed as money making vehicles. Most of them are simply terrible, but Melinda is actually a cool one.

Its basically a revenge tale, but it is chock full of melodrama and excitement. The story is an overdone one, but the films' cheapness actually benefits it. The settings seem authentic and the movie actually manages to capture some street life in it.

Admittedly, the acting is not excellent, but somehow the film manages to be entertaining in a "ghetto" way. Don't go out of your way to see it, though.

I thought when you went to the drive-in to watch bl2cksploitation movies it was for cheap thrills.

Where's the entertainment here? The lead actor isn't suave or cool. He's just some vain, obnoxious jagov. The first 40 minutes are consumed with this guy meeting a fine lady, making out, and then finding her dead in his apartment. This should have taken less than 10 minutes.

The rest is hardly any better. Something about the mob. Some karate. And a lot of really terrible acting. The fight scenes, in particular, are laughably bad.

It's all so boring.

That super-ego brilliant Mutha Frankie J. Parker played by Calvin Lockhart is a ghetto disc jockey who smooth talks and womanizes until he meets a sultry gal named Melinda played by Vonetta McGee. Things go smoothly until Melinda winds up dead in Frankie's apartment. The mob is behind the hit since Melinda had one of their audio tapes concealed in a cigarette box. Frankie cant take on the mob all by himself so he rounds up a few buddies and struggling businessman and karate instructor Charlie Atkins played by Jim Kelly and together form a small army and go into combat. Kelly, who is responsible for the violence and Lockhart take on thugs, steal their cars and drive up to the mob boss's mob to "clear things up" and "close the deal". In the end Frankie rekindles a lost love interest and Kelly and his crew go back to the real world and leave Frankie and his old time gal to reconcile and understand each other throughout the end of the film. Through this violent action film I saw a lot of the characters emotions, the fear,the struggle,the anger,the courage, and the love and romance. At the end I felt good inside. I could Identify with the characters who went through all that. To me this film has been overlooked and underrated. "Melinda" should be digitally remastered and recorded on DVD. I strongly recommend this film to anyone. Look past the color and the genre. This is your kind of Black Film.

I enjoyed this movie and Calvin Lockheart is a great actor and he is good on the eyes. I love his voice I have been looking for this movie Melinda for years I can not find it anywhere.All of the actors and actresses did good the plot was good and I enjoyed the action. I have seen Calvin Lockheart in other movies and he did good an all of them as well I would like to see him in something now, I know he is much older now but there are movies for older men also THERE ARE TV shows that he could be on he helped to make the way for actors and actresses of today.He could appear on shows like Girlfriends also The Parkers. That is only a couple of suggestions.I would like to see him in a movie about his life.If anyone know where I can get the movie please post it.

one of the few black films overlooked by the same studios that were saved by these so called blackploitation films.bad genre title,the only thing exploited were the actors who were not paid the money they deserved.lot of action,and dramatic acting.the late great miss cash should have won an Oscar for performance for her dual role in this film. a great introduction for Jim Kelley who should have had a great action film career as the great chuck Norris.these films in the early 1970s were just plain great fun and escapism.studios be aware there are millions to be made on forgotten films such as black belt Jones, three the hard way,trouble man,Melinda,abbey,hit-man,Gordon's war,sparkle and others that should be remastered to DVD.just check out the profits to already released titles

such as the mack,super fly,foxy brown and Corly high.please surprise us fans of a bygone and special era.

great action career as the great chuck Norris