Black Belt Jones: Difference between revisions
User:Cgcolber/sandbox I kept some of the plot by the original editor, but I expanded details on specific scenes and included the film's ending. --≈≈≈ |
User:Cgcolber/sandbox I created a section entitled background to give the film more context. |
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==Background== |
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The [[Shaw Brothers Studio|Shaw Brothers]], a major Hong Knog movie studio, initiated the U.S. Kung Fu film invasion with 1972's [[King Boxer|Five Fingers of Death]] and other films depicting realistic and brutal action<ref name=":2" />. |
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In 1973, [[Cleopatra Jones]] connected martial arts in Blaxploitation, with a strong Black female lead, skillfully trained in karate. |
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As a teenager born in Millersburg, Kentucky and raised in Paris, Kentucky [[Jim Kelly (martial artist)|Jim Kelly]] grew up as an all-around athlete, and had a chance to become a professional football player. He gained his fame in the martial arts community through the 1971 Ed Parkers Internationals <ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-c8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22&dq=black+belt+may+1992+p+18&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig9uCG2_bXAhUT9mMKHYxyBM8Q6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=black%20belt%20may%201992%20p%2018&f=false|title=Black Belt Magazine|last=Clary|first=David|date=May 1992|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|year=|isbn=|location=|pages=18-21|language=en}}</ref>. After completing [[Enter the Dragon]], he immediately signed a three film deal with [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros]]. Black Belt Jones was filmed soon after<ref name=":0" />. Kelly is still arguably most known for his role in Enter the Dragon. |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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Revision as of 15:20, 8 December 2017
| Black Belt Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Clouse |
| Written by | Alexandra Rose Fred Weintraub Oscar Williams |
| Produced by | Paul Heller Fred Weintraub |
| Starring | Jim Kelly Gloria Hendry |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Black Belt Jones is a 1974 American blaxploitation martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and starring Jim Kelly and Gloria Hendry.Together Clouse, Fred Weintraub, and Paul Heller creators of Enter The Dragon, gave Jim Kelly his first big starring role. Kelly’s character Black Belt Jones, is a local hero who fights the Mafia and a local drug dealer threatening his friend’s karate school.
Plot
The film opens with the Mafia counting their money, a police informant is with them, and the Mob gets rid of him. The next scene, depicts Black Belt Jones protecting ambassadors from a couple of unknown henchmen. The cops later contact Jones to help them take down the Mafia. The Mafia learns that a new civic center will be built, and they buy all of the land for the site of the building—all except for one place: a karate school owned by Pop Byrd, Black Belt Jones' old friend. The Don reaches out to a local drug dealer Pinky, who owes him money and a few favors. Pop Byrd had borrowed money from Pinky, in order to open his school. Pinky had been stealing money from the mafia and was forced to pay them $250,000 or get Pop's building for them. Pinky inflated the debt, with the intent of offering Pop the deal of trading his building in exchange for the debt being cleared. However, things do not go as planned, as Pop is accidentally killed by Pinky's men during an intimidation attempt. Before he dies, he states that he couldn't give them the building to settle his debt, because it did not belong to him, but to someone named Sydney. Pinky then decides to send his men to the karate school, to inform them of Pop's debt (inflated yet again) and attempt the same scheme. However, the thugs are beaten up by Black Belt Jones and the students.
Pop Byrd’s daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry) returns home as owner of the karate school, she seeks to find out more about her father, and what caused his sudden death. After demanding to know what happened to her father, she is informed of the mafia's activities as well as her father's debt, but says she won't sell the building. Angered, she is determined to punish the people who caused her father's death. Sydney approaches Pinky’s men and ends up in a brawl, being well trained in karate, she defeats them. As retaliation, Pinky kidnaps one of the students (Quincy) and demands for them to turn over the school or give him the money. Together Black Belt Jones and Sydney, alongside some other unexpected characters and the police, steal the Mafia’s money. They then give the money to Pinky, framing him for the heist, while simultaneously rescuing Quincy. Pinky does not hold up his end of the deal, and Jones has to defeat all of his henchmen. The film ends with the Mafia and Pinky in a car chase pursuing Jones and Sydney. They all participate in a long comedy-filled fight scene in a truck yard. Jones, Sydney, and Pop Byrd’s students are victorious. The Mafia and Pinky end up in garbage trucks, escorted by the police.
Cast
- Jim Kelly as Black Belt Jones
- Gloria Hendry as Sydney
- Scatman Crothers as Pop Byrd
- Eric Laneuville as Quincy
- Alan Weeks as Toppy
- Andre Philippe as Don Steffano
- Vincent Barbi as Big Tuna
- Mel Novak as Blue Eyes
- Malik Carter as Pinky
- Eddie Smith as Oscar
- Earl Jolly Brown as Jelly
- Jac Emil as "Marv the Butcher"
- Earl Maynard as Bogart
- Marla Gibbs as Betty
- Ted Lange as Militant
- Clarence Barnes as Tango
- Esther Sutherland as Lucy
- Nate Esformes as Roberts
Background
The Shaw Brothers, a major Hong Knog movie studio, initiated the U.S. Kung Fu film invasion with 1972's Five Fingers of Death and other films depicting realistic and brutal action[1].
In 1973, Cleopatra Jones connected martial arts in Blaxploitation, with a strong Black female lead, skillfully trained in karate.
As a teenager born in Millersburg, Kentucky and raised in Paris, Kentucky Jim Kelly grew up as an all-around athlete, and had a chance to become a professional football player. He gained his fame in the martial arts community through the 1971 Ed Parkers Internationals [2]. After completing Enter the Dragon, he immediately signed a three film deal with Warner Bros. Black Belt Jones was filmed soon after[2]. Kelly is still arguably most known for his role in Enter the Dragon.
Reception
The movie received a mixed to negative reception.[3][4]
See also
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Clary, David (May 1992). Black Belt Magazine. Active Interest Media, Inc. pp. 18–21.
- ^ Weiler, A. H. (1974-01-29). "Movie Review - Black Belt Jones - Screen: Kick-and-Slash:' Black Belt Jones' Is Played by Jim Kelly The Cast ' Black Belt Jones' Is Played by Jim Kelly". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ "Black Belt Jones". Variety. 1973-12-31. Retrieved 2011-01-30.