Hammer (1972)

A Los Angeles dock worker becomes a boxer but his crooked manager is involved in various rackets and he's working for the mob.

Director:

Bruce D. Clark (as Bruce Clark)

Writer:

Charles Eric Johnson (screenplay) (as Charles Johnson)

Stars:

Fred Williamson, Bernie Hamilton, Vonetta McGee

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Williamson	...	B.J. Hammer
Bernie Hamilton	...	Davis
Vonetta McGee	...	Lois
William Smith	...	Brenner
Charles Lampkin	...	Big Sid
Elizabeth Harding	...	Rhoda
Mel Stewart	...	Professor
D'Urville Martin	...	Sonny
Stack Pierce	...	Roughhouse
Jamal Moore	...	Henry Jones
Nawana Davis	...	Mary
John Quade	...	Riley
Johnny Silver	...	Tiny
Juan DeCarlos	...	Bruiser (as Juan De Carlos)
Jorge Cervera Jr.	...	Medina (as George Cervera Jr.)

Storyline

A dock worker becomes a prizefighter, but gets mixed up with a crooked manager. A sympathetic L.A. detective tries to set him straight, but he won't listen. His manager, who is also a drug dealer, tells him that he has to take a dive during an important fight, and to ensure his cooperation, his girlfriend is kidnapped.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | surname as title | one word title | docks | prizefighter | 

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Taglines:

Is Going To Take This Town Apart

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

B J Hammer

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Essaness Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Marilyn Joi.

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Quotes

Roughhouse: You gettin' out! I'm gettin' out, man. You cats are comin' down too hard.
Big Sid: Calm yourself, Rough', baby. You gonna work yourself up to an ulcer, old man. Just tell old Sid what's got your jaws uptight.
Roughhouse: Look, man, I done paid you back ten times over them IOUs. And now I wanna make a clean break.
Big Sid: Alright... takes a lotta money to live the good life on your pay. Man, you still got champagne and caviar runnin' though your veins from the old days.
Roughhouse: No. Get yourself a new boy. I don't mind turning my ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Missing Reel: Blaxploitation (2014)

User Reviews

Solid blaxploitation fare.

Former football player Fred Williamson does well in his earliest starring vehicle, playing B.J. Hammer, fired from his job as a dock worker but soon finding success as a pugilist. He shrugs off suggestions that the local mob is playing a large part in his success, although the writing is on the wall. His sleazy manager, Big Sid (Charles Lampkin), IS a crime figure who also dabbles in drugs. Eventually, the mob will order him to take a fall in a fight, and abduct his girlfriend Lois (Vonetta McGee) to ensure his participation.

All in all, "Hammer" shows its audience a pretty good time. The director is Bruce D. Clark ("The Ski Bum", "Galaxy of Terror"), who utilizes some good camera angles and some quick cutting. The action scenes are fine, and there are effective doses of sex and violence to please an exploitation loving crowd. The story by Charles Eric Johnson is straightforward, and uses weary detective Davis (Bernie Hamilton ('Starsky and Hutch')), and the love interest Lois, to function as moral centres for our hero.

The violence may be somewhat hard to take for some viewers, but it's hard to be that upset when that typically bright red movie blood just looks so fake. An undeniable highlight is in seeing foxy exploitation starlet Marilyn Joi (in her film debut) do an incredibly erotic dance.

Fred brings all his athleticism and charisma to the starring role, and receives strong support from Hamilton, Lampkin, McGee, the eternally bad ass William Smith as an incredibly rotten thug, Mel Stewart as a trainer, D'Urville Martin as a pool hall regular, Stack Pierce as a guy named "Roughhouse", and John Quade as a goon. Leon Isaac Kennedy (the "Penitentiary" series) also makes his film debut as a kid named Bobby.

Set to a pulsing soul score by Solomon Burke, "Hammer" is decent (if predictable) fun that does leave you with a smile on your face.

Seven out of 10.