Mean Mother (1974)

Two Vietnam deserters go their separate ways, become criminals and are eventually reunited.

Directors:

Al Adamson, León Klimovsky

Writers:

Joy Garrison, Charles Eric Johnson

Stars:

Dobie Gray, Dennis Safren, Luciana Paluzzi

Cast

Cast overview:
Dobie Gray	...	Beauregard Jones (as Clifton Brown)
Dennis Safren	...	Joe
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Therese
Lang Jeffries	...	Dan
Marilyn Joi	...	Joy (as Tracy King)
Bedy Moratti
Albert Cole	...	Mack
Al Richardson	...	Big Rex
Elizabeth Guadalupe Chauvet	...	Maria
Dick Poston	...	Slasher
Irv Saunders	...	Carver
Erik Cord	...	Brute (as Eric Cord)
Gregory White	...	Stud (as Greg White)
Robyn Hilton	...	Blonde In Bikini

Storyline

Two Vietnam deserters go their separate ways, become criminals and are eventually reunited.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | shootout | karate | martial arts | interracial relationship | 

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Taglines:

Super Cool & Wild! Smashing the Man and the Mob for his Women!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Soul Brother

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amhearst Productions, Independent International Pictures (I-I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally a Spanish film called Run for Your Life. Producer Samuel M. Sherman of Independent-International Pictures bought it for US distribution, but eventually decided that American audiences wouldn't come to see it. He re-edited it, added some new footage with black actors and turned it into a "blaxploitation" actioner, re-naming it "Mean Mother".

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Connections

Edited from Run for Your Life (1971)

User Reviews

A different type of exploitation classic from the 1970's

"Mean Mother" is very different from those other exploitation films of the 70's. This one takes place in Europe.

It's about two Vietnam war buddies who go AWOL and go to Europe; the African-American goes to Spain, the Caucasian goes to Rome, Italy. They both get involved in the crime world and somehow meet again in Rome, Italy. They both meet lovely ladies and all four plan their escape to Canada.

Some of the situations are believable and the action scenes are fair. The dialogue has its moments (bad and good). The film even has a love story. Some of the indoor scenes are shot in vivid colors by Deluxe (not that washed out natural color of today's films). It seems that the film was shot on location (you do see the Coliseum in one scene).

Some scenes are funny: bikini-clad woman with blonde wig having car trouble on a remote hillside road who speaks like Marilyn Monroe; love-making on a grassy-leafy patio by a pool.

Normally this type of film deals with somebody plotting revenge for some type of drug-deal gone wrong, but not this film. It's of the same genre, but different. Give it a try, you may like it. And that 70's touch helps a lot.