Black Samurai (1977)

User Rating:

2.1/10   

Director:

Al Adamson

Writers:

B. Readick (screenplay) and
Marco Joachim (additional story ideas)

Release Date:

February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Tagline:

The Cool Master of Kung-Fu and Karate!

Plot:

Robert Sand, agent of D.R.A.G.O.N. (Defense Reserve Agency Guardian Of Nations), is playing tennis on his vacation with a beautiful black girl, when his commanding officers ask him to save a Chinese girl who happens to be Sand's girlfriend, and the daughter of a top Eastern Ambassador. The ransom for the abduction was the secret for a terrific new weapon - the freeze bomb - but the 'Warlock' behind the deed is also into the business of drug dealing and Voodoo ritual murders. The search takes him from Hong Kong to California through Miami, and plenty of action, against bad men, bad girl, and bad animals.

Plot Keywords:

Tennis | Voodoo | Murder | Drugs | Warlock

Cast

Jim Kelly	...	Robert Sand
Bill Roy	...	Janicot
Roberto Contreras	...	Chavez
Marilyn Joi	...	Synne
Essie Lin Chia	...	Toki Konuma
Biff Yeager	...	Pines
Charles Grant	...	Bone
Jace Khan	...	Jace
Erwin Fuller	...	Bodyguard
Peter Dane	...	Farnsworth
Felix Silla	...	Rheinhardt
Cowboy Lang	...	Himself
Little Tokyo	...	Himself
Jerry Marin	...	Shotgun Spiro
Alfonso Walters	...	Leopard Man

Also Known As:

Black Terminator
The Freeze Bomb (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

USA:88 min | UK:82 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | Portugal:M/18 (director's cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Haiti

Company:

BJLJ International Corp.

Trivia:

Jim Kelly also choreographed the martial arts scenes.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Sands is fighting Bone at the end the over-dubbing is never in sync. Neither of their mouths are moving at the right time, and the voices were obviously dubbed in later.

Quotes:

Robert Sand: Surprise Monkeys!

Movie Connections:

References Live and Let Die (1973)

Long live the Black Samurai! Lots of fun for trash fans if for all the wrong reasons

"Black Samurai" is one bad movie in the literal sense of the word. Fortunately, its enjoyable to watch because of its sheer ineptness and stupidity. The film features awful and uninspired acting, directing, and writing. When it comes to blaxploitation films, its even worse than either "Dolemite" or "The Black Gestapo". The filmmakers obviously had little to no interest in the final product outside of whether it would sell or not. The only area its a considerable success in is entertainment value. In other words, fans of this kind of schlock will be amused.

The direction by Al Adamson is his usual uninspired self, but he loads on plenty of absolutely gonzo elements (this is second only to "Satan's Sadists" as the most enjoyable work I've seen from him). This film is as insane as its concept suggests (something exploitation fans know doesn't always happen). By the time Jim Kelly straps on a jet pack to go fight midgets with kung-fu, I was in trash heaven. Jim Kelly's performance as a super bad super spy is pretty lousy, but to be honest the man was an impressive fighter. Still, the rest of the cast is not, making even this unintentionally hilarious. Even goofier is the horribly post-dubbed dialog thats absolutely inane ("Come on, hit me sucker. Chump. You're a chump!"). In other words, most film fans won't appreciate this, but if you're intrigued by what you read you'll probably enjoy this. Its one of the worst films I've seen but its never boring. (5/10)