TNT Jackson (1974)

Director:

Cirio H. Santiago

Writers:

Dick Miller (written by) and
Ken Metcalfe (written by)

Release Date:

17 January 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Spine Shattering - Bone Blasting

Plot:

A young karate expert searches for her brother's killer in Hong Kong.

Plot Keywords:

Karate | Martial Arts | Hong Kong | Club | Casket

Cast

Jeannie Bell	...	Diana 'T.N.T.' Jackson (as Jeanne Bell)
Stan Shaw	...	Charlie
Pat Anderson	...	Elaine
Ken Metcalfe	...	Sid (as Ken Metcalf)
Chiquito	...	Dynamite Wong
Imelda Ilanan	...	Joe's Assistant
Leo Martinez		(as Leo Martin)
Max Alvarado
Percy Gordon
Chris Cruz
Joonee Gamboa		(as John Gamble)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Mari Avellana	...	(uncredited)
Shirley Washington	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Cirio H. Santiago		(as Cirio Santiago)

Writing credits
Dick Miller		(written by) and
Ken Metcalfe		(written by) (as Ken Metcalf)

Produced by
Cirio H. Santiago	....	producer (as Cirio Santiago)
Roger Corman	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Tito Sotto

Cinematography by
Felipe Sacdalan		(as Philip Sacdalan)

Film Editing by
Barbara Pokras		(as Barbara Progress)
Gervacio Santos		(as Gervasio Santos)

Art Direction by
Ben Otico		(as Ben Otica)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jun Amazan	....	assistant director (as John Amazon)

Sound Department
Willie Arce	....	sound (as William Arkush)
Demetrio de Santos	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Eddie Buenaflor	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Rudy Cabrales	....	assistant editor
Rufino Cabrales	....	assistant editor

Other crew
J. Lo	....	martial arts instructor
Renato Morado	....	martial arts instructor
Aurelio R. Navarro	....	production assistant (as A.R. Navarro)
Art Tecson	....	production assistant
C. Tan Siu Tong	....	martial arts instructor
Boni Uy	....	martial arts instructor

Production Companies

• HPS Productions (as HPS)
• New World Pictures
• Premiere Productions

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1975) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Brentwood Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Prime Time Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Socai-Films (1982) (France) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (video) (VOD)

Other Companies

• Conway Recording Studios  sound effects (as Conway Recorders, Inc.)

Also Known As:

"Dynamite Wong and TNT Jackson" - Philippines (English title)

Runtime:

UK:68 min | USA:72 min

Country:

USA | Philippines

Language:

English | Filipino | Tagalog

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | USA:R | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Australia:MA15+

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

HPS Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When TNT Jackson fights a roomful of men topless, she is wearing small black panties. During the fight, she makes a leaping attack while wearing bigger white panties. When she lands, she's wearing the black panties again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Stag Jackson:Hey, brother, how you doin'?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jackie Brown (1997)

Amusingly inept Kung Fu-Blaxploitation hybrid

From Roger Corman's New World Pictures, the script was co-written by actor Dick Miller (a frequent player in Corman's films). Director Santiago worked (uncredited) on many Corman flicks, three of which starred Pam Grier. Shapely Jeanne Bell (a former "Playboy" Playmate) is just one of many Grier lookalikes Santiago would put in his later films.

This is an ultra-cheap chop-socky martial arts flick with a slight twist. In what could be called "Foxy Brown in Hong Kong", the casting of two black actors, Bell and Stan Shaw, give it the appearance of a Blaxpoitation film. But the two genres never blend. The result is an awkward, implausible fish-out-of-water feeling.

The derivative revenge plot unfolds with Diana "TNT" Jackson, a foxy, karate-kicking babe, roaming the mean streets of Hong Kong after her brother is killed in a drug deal. And before you know it, everybody is Kung Fu fighting -- but these cats are not "fast as lightning". In fact, this has some of the slowest and least convincing fight scenes ever filmed. It looks more like rehearsal footage. Jackson is supposedly so skilled that she routinely pummels half a dozen Chinese thugs at a time. Plus, her fighting style also includes frequent acrobatic back- flips that just look silly.

Posing as a bad-ass looking for action, she infiltrates a powerful heroin smuggling ring with absurd ease. This is incongruously led by two Americans -- Sid (Ken Metcalf), a dapper white dude who looks and behaves more like a college professor, and his black henchman Charlie (Shaw). Jackson seduces Charlie, and some dated jive-talk dialog ensues -- along with several shoot-outs, fights, and a totally predictable ending.

Watching Bell's flat, featureless performance, one appreciates Pam Grier all the more. Grier generated a charisma and sex appeal that jumped off the screen, even when the scripts were terrible (and they usually were). Although Bell is lovely to look at, especially in her two obligatory nude scenes, her personality and acting skills are as bland as steamed rice.

Although this movie is consistently awful with nothing to recommend it, there is one scene that is hard to forget (though poorly filmed and executed). In a dark bedroom, Jackson, nude except for a pair of black bikini briefs, kicks the crap out of a gang of goons who have abducted her. An almost iconic scene. Don't be surprised if Tarantino does an homage to it some day.