HAMMER: FIGHT TO THE FINISH

Fred Williamson was a bit of a renaissance man for his time. The ex-pro football player who went on to achieve fame and fortune in the movies was the first mega male star in the Blaxploitation genre. But he was more than just an actor, producing and writing many of the films he later starred in as well as providing jobs for people of color behind the scenes. His success was made from his turning around and investing himself and his money in the business as opposed to be handed the keys to the kingdom. In return he had a long and successful career that was well earned.

In this film Williamson stars as B.J. Hammer, a dock worker who tires of seeing a friend beat up by a union boss who actually works for the mob. When a fist fight breaks out and he takes down the man, the word gets out and the same mob boss thinks he may have a new fighter to place in the ring. Hammer is given the chance to become a prize fighter and he takes it.

What he doesn’t realize is that the fight game is not as clear cut as one would think. His trainer and manager is on the level but the promoters are not. When the promoter (Charles Lumpkin) tells him to take a dive, Hammer refuses and the result is the near death beating of his trainer. As with most films in this genre that sets Hammer out on a path of revenge against the men behind the scenes, Mr. Big and his henchmen.

Williamson turns in a decent performance here but nothing stupendous. Keep in mind this was early in his career and he kept getting better with each and every role. William Smith as the hired muscle for the main bad guy does a nice job as he always did in roles like this. His was one of those faces where most see him and say “Oh yeah, that guy” without realizing his name. The threatening nature of his character here is well done but funny in some ways as well.

While this is not the best example of the genre it is one that deserves mention and notice. As I said, Williamson went on to more major roles in studio made pictures as well as making his own films at the same time. It was a successful business plan that not only brought more people of color into the fold but placed them in better positions than most had in the past. Films from the genre of Blaxploitation need to be recognized and watched so that others will learn the history of films from the 70s and 80s that helped advance the way things were to the way they are now. While not the best Williamson film, this is a great way to begin to discover where it all began.

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THE MEAN SEASON: RUSSELL TO THE RESCUE

I don’t know if it was ever possible for Kurt Russell to make a bad movie. I mean the things he did for the Disney Company as a teen are still great fun and even POSEIDON was made passable by his inclusion. As we get ready to witness him in the latest Tarantino film it’s nice to go back and take the time to see some of his older films and hard to believe they are as old as they are. Case in point this movie.

Russell stars as Malcolm Anderson, the hot young reporter for a top Miami newspaper. Burned out after years on the job he’s all set to leave and move to a small town in Colorado with the love of his life, Christine (Muriel Hemingway). All that changes with a single body found on the beach. As Malcolm begins covering what is to be his last story, he gets a phone call from the killer. Offering some clues he leads him to the next victims as well as letting him know just how many to expect.

The whole combative attitude between the press and the police is brought out here as Malcolm holds back information until the last minute from his detective friend Ray (Andy Garcia). As the bodies begin to multiply the interaction between the two increases in return for first look at anything either has. It also begins to tear apart the bond between Malcolm and Christine as he gets caught up in becoming the celebrity of the moment, famous for his story not only on his newspaper but in all forms of the press as well. Feeling that this will result in a Pulitzer he takes center stage to talk to anyone about the killer and what is happening.

None of this sets well with our killer as the whole reason he contacted Malcolm to begin with was to make himself famous. Instead he sits and watches the attention shift from himself to Malcolm. In the end there will be a price to pay for that happening. Eventually he kidnaps Christine, setting Malcolm on a quest to find his bride to be before she becomes the next victim.

THE MEAN SEASON is by all means not the best movie Russell ever made but he brings to it a seasoned actor in a role that could have turned ridiculous in the hands of someone else. His take on the burned out, tired reporter rings true here and at first there is much sympathy to be had by his character. That leaves once he becomes the story instead of the killer and returns near the end as he realizes all of the mistakes that he’s made.

The supporting casts does an equally admirable job here. Garcia as the sympathetic police friend, Richard Masur as the newspaper editor who pressed Malcolm to do the job and Richard Bradford as the tough cop who has less sympathy for Malcolm than his partner. Richard Jordan as the killer turns in another great performance to his roster, making you realize how sad it was to see him go before his time. Only Hemingway has a hard time pulling off the role assigned to her. This is not to say she doesn’t have the ability but at this point it felt like she was still finding herself in the roles she chose.

Once again the movie’s presentation is well done by Olive Films and the movie looks great. Little or no extras are found here but for most of us that’s not why we watch. We want to be entertained, to be held in mystery and to see what happens. All of that is packaged here with this film, one you’ll likely enjoy if you give it the chance.

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THRASHIN’: ROMEO AND JULIET GET STOKED

It seems that the story of Romeo and Juliet can be translated into almost any setting. Troma took it strange, WEST SIDE STORY took it to the gang filled streets of New York and this movie moves the setting to sunny California during the heyday of the skateboarders.

A young Josh Brolin stars as Corey Webster, a skateboarder with a dream to skate in the most death defying downhill run in the country called the LA Massacre that takes place in Los Angeles. With a little cash in pocket he heads west where he plans to stay with friends there. New to town when the group hits the seaside beach area set up for skateboarders, he strays into the turf run by The Daggers. This must be a tough group because, well, they’re decked out in black leather and just look tough.

Okay in case you didn’t recognize the sarcasm there this is a movie with 80s written all over it, everything from the slang to the look. Between the punked out make up and the style of clothing you keep waiting for Kajagoogoo or Flock of Seagulls to pop up somewhere. But seeing as how this is LA during the huge punk scene instead you get an early Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Circle Jerks.

Back to our movie. Corey catches the eye of a hot young girl among the Daggers named Chrissy (Pamela Gidley). A bit of flirting and a meet later sets the romance in motion between these two. Unfortunately Corey isn’t aware that Chrissy is the little sister of Tommy (Robert Russler), the leader of the Daggers and a skateboarding champ in the area. Once he discovers what is going on he sets out to keep the two apart but we know that isn’t likely.

A showdown between the two prior to the LA Massacre leaves Corey with a broken forearm and unable to compete. Complications between him, Chrissy and Tommy leave Chrissy on a bus heading home and a tale of inspiration that leads Corey to the LA Massacre where he intends to compete, broken arm or not. Taped up and ready to go the race is on with the winner able to decide the fate of all three.

Understand up front that this is not Masterpiece Theater. Instead we have a genre that’s been around as far back as I can remember, the exploitation film. Don’t think that exploitation films are all about gangsters and horror flicks. The teen drama was a staple for years before this movie arrived. It now joins that genre as well offering a lot of fun, a travel through time into the 80s world that will leave many a parent now trying to deny to their own teens that they ever dressed or looked like this.

The movie is well made, well shot, filled with some terrific stunts and solid acting by all around. Watching this you might not have a clue that Brolin would one day star in an Oscar winning film or become a solid star as an adult but it happened. It would make a great double bill with THE GOONIES though since he was about the same age in both.

The quality of the reproduction here is solid and looks great. Once again, it’s nice to see a company like Olive Films taking care with a movie that isn’t heralded as the greatest movie ever made and offering it the respect that all movies deserve. It’s entertaining, it’s fun and it’s well worth taking a look at. And if you grew up in the 80s, you’ll want to add this to your collection to watch when the kids aren’t home.

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