Le pénitencier

Slams, The (1973)

** (out of 4)

Forgotten blaxploitation flick has Jim Brown playing Curtis Hooks, a man who ends up in prison on a small charge but once inside he has all sorts of hits on his life because everyone knows that he stole $1.5 million in drug money and has it hidden somewhere. THE SLAMS, to date, has never received a VHS or DVD release so it's one of the rarest films of its genre, which is somewhat surprising since it does feature one of the biggest stars. There's quite a bit of good stuff here but sadly we've seen everything countless times before and you just end up with one cliché after another. The screenplay is certainly prison-drama 101 as everything you'd expect to happen does just that in the exact order that you'd think it would happen. You get the typical gay jokes, the attacks in the laundry room, the sadistic white racist, the mafia boss, the crooked cops and of course every time the cops walk away you're going to witness yet another hit. The film really doesn't offer up any drama and you can't help but wish that you cared more than what you actually do. With that said, there are still some fine performances with Brown leading the way. This certainly isn't Oscar-worthy material but it's not meant to be. Brown simply shows up with that tough attitude and kicks some major butt. The supporting cast includes a nice performance by Ted Cassidy as the racist and Frank DeKova playing the mafia boss running the prison. Dick Miller appears briefly as a taxi driver and Charles Cyphers (HALLOWEEN) can be spotted playing a guard. Director Jonathan Kaplan at least keeps the film moving at a nice pace and makes it look very professional. He also manages to get a pretty good atmosphere out of the film and the prison has a very dirty feel to it as it should. Still, THE SLAMS can't be seen as anything other than a disappointment. There are a few good moments but not enough to recommend this to anyone but those who must see everything the genre offered up.

(1973) The Slams ACTION

At the opening, showcases a sophisticated, blatant drug and money robbery involving three guys. And while driving away on their getaway truck, and because one of the guys didn't agree to also rob the syndicate's drug money, he demands that his share would only be in cash. So the other two decide to double cross him by getting rid of him altogether, except that he was already onto their intentions and successfully kills them both with a sawed off shot gun. After dumping the suitcase full of cocaine into the ocean, he then takes off driving again, but becomes nauseous because he was also shot as well who ends up crashing his vehicle on front of a police cruiser. And that was when the real movie starts is when anti-hero, protagonist, Curtis X. Hook (Jim Brown) ends up in the slammer (hence the title "The Slams") for connecting him to the robbery and murders, in which we're seeing him having to confront and clash with a corrupt chief's guard, racist inmates, and one of the Italian syndicates who also happens to be locked up as well. On his side, Hook has a successful African American girlfriend who happens to be a successful news reporter, and a likable pimp who Hook had used to saved his life during the war. If you want to see movies in which African Americans are not stereotyped as people who're incapable to hitting back if they're hit first, then this would be a great contender since how often are we going to see successful African American news anchors with the main star working with pimps! Not very often.

Jim Brown, plays a slick robber named Curtis X. Hook who helps two other thugs rob the mafia of both their cash and their dope. The two double crossing thieves are thwarted by the savvy action hero Jim Brown, who then hides the money stash, before he gets sent to prison for a vehicle theft but not for any robbery that went unreported by the Mafia, and not for any of the murders of the drug dealing Mafia mobsters or for the murder of his double crossing robbery partners. Oh and who doesn't like to see the six (6) foot nine (9) inch actor Ted Cassidy as the bad guy fighting Jim Brown in prison? Cassidy kind of reminds me of the seven (7) foot (2) two inch Richard Kiel who was the James Bond villain in (1977) The Spy Who Love Me and (1979) Moonraker. There is also the hip, sleek and petite love interest of Curtis X. Hook who is Iris Daniels played by the well known Judy Pace.

So with a deep cast of crime makers, hot girls and our former grid iron action hero Jim Brown what's not to like? I just felt that the film was a low budget entry that must have all been filmed on the first take whether the actors stuck to the script or adlibbed their parts. The musical score was so reminiscent of all those 1960-70's TV crime series that I thought I would have time to go out and refresh my drink and popcorn during the commercial break. No luck though, I sat through the film waiting for more, but I got less.

I give this Jim Brown entry a barely passable 5 out of 10 IMDB blaxploitation rating. It's an okay time waster, nothing more, nothing less.

Jim Brown was such a stud. Retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher, falling short of 1,000 yds/season only twice in 9 years and both times only barely. And that was back when they only played 12 (and then 14) game seasons.

He quit after one of his best seasons (and was named NFL MVP for the 3rd time) and headed to Hollywood. Everybody knows he was Jackson in The Dirty Dozen. But how many people have seen this little gem?

Heist goes wrong. Accomplices die but Brown manages to escape long enough to hide the loot before getting arrested and landing in jail. There rest is prison-drama fun between the whites, the blacks, the corrupt prison captain and the jailed mafioso. There are a bunch of good fights and some really good performances. It all climaxes in a clever escape attempt, which isn't a spoiler because Brown is hatching it from the get-go.

Doesn't make any big statements, but it sure is fun.

A robbery crew steals drugs and money from criminals. Curtis X. Hook (Jim Brown) beats his comrades to the double-cross and is the final survivor. He dumps the drugs and hides the money in an abandoned dock. He gets locked in prison and has to deal with many different sides. It's black against white. Others want him to work for them. Everyone who knows about the money wants it.

I'm not sure if this is considered blaxploitation. It's produced by Gene Corman, brother of B-movie legend Roger Corman. Blaxploitation is intended for a black audience. This is a more general B-movie. Legendary football player Jim Brown is not that great as an actor. He has some natural charisma and his size gives him just enough command. His amiability makes him a functional lead. This is undeniably a B-movie and it's a functional one.