Growing up I was a fan of the Blaxploitation films.
Unfortunately I was also too young to see these movies in the theater. But the
whole concept interested me. Fortunately most of those films were available on
VHS when tapes hit. With disc many more have surfaced. Now, thanks to Arrow
Video, one that is rarely seen makes its way to blu-ray, WILLIE DYNAMITE.
From the opening credits with the theme song sung by Martha
Reeves while we watch Willie (Roscoe Orman) driving his pimp mobile to views of
the ladies who work for him picking up johns at a convention we can tell where
this movie is going. Two years prior SUPERFLY turned a drug dealer into an
anti-hero. This movie apparently plans to do the same thing with the story of a
pimp.
Willie dreams of the big time, of being the number one pimp
in New York City. He dresses the part, wearing matching clothes; the first time
we see him he’s wearing a burgundy suit with white fur stripes, matching cape
and hat. He drives a tricked out Rolls Royce, metallic purple with pipes on the
side and leopard skin interior. And he makes sure that his girls are doing the
job he uses them for or out they go.
A gathering of pimps in the city is called by Bell (Roger
Robinson). He tells the rest of them that the best way for them to handle the
problems each of them face is to join forces and act as one group. Each will
have their own turf. They will share corrupt officials that they pay off. And
they will divide the money that each of their girls brings in. All agree except
for Willie. Eager to make it on his own and surpass everyone else he turns down
the offer.
But then things begin to go wrong. The police crackdown on
Willie and his girls. One of the newest girls, Pashen (Joyce Walker) is still
fresh to the game and afraid of prison. She is approached by Cora (Diana
Sands), an ex-hooker turned social worker who’s trying to get the girls to go
straight. But Willie shows up to bail out Pashen and off they go.
Now it seems Willie has more than one battlefront to deal
with. The other pimps want him to join up with them. Cora wants nothing more
than to destroy his business. And the police begin giving him problems as well.
They tow his car. They arrest him on suspicion of armed robbery saying he “fit
the description”. With all that’s going down push will come to shove and when
it does, will Willie continue down the path he’s chosen or will he chose
another?
The movie itself is ably crafted but nothing stupendous. Its
director Gilbert Moses first feature film and his abilities lend themselves
better to TV than to features. As a matter of fact all of his credits as a
director with the exception of one other film are in television. The person who
must have had the most fun in making this movie would have been Bernard
Johnson, the costume designer. One has to wonder if the outfits worn by the
pimps in the film were what was being worn or what was stereotypical Hollywood
versions. In any event they’re eye catching to say the least.
An interesting tidbit for the less observant. If while
watching the film you keep thinking to yourself that Roscoe Orman looks
familiar the odds are you watched him as a kid. Beginning after the release of
this film in 1974 he landed the role he’s probably most famous for and one that
he was doing through 2018. That’s right, he has been seen as Gordon on SESAME
STREET all these years. Talk about a change.
Arrow has done a great job of restoring the film from
original film elements. The extras are few but good ones and include an audio
commentary track by Sergio Mims host and producer of the Bad
Mutha' Film Show on WHPK-FM, the theatrical trailer, a reversible sleeve
with original artwork by Sean Phillips and for the first pressing only a fully
illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing by Cullen Gallagher. If you’re
a fan of Blaxploitation films then pick this one up today.
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