In all respects this is an utterly dull, derivative B-movie with barely anything to recommend it. It's cheap, often laughable when it tries to be serious, and the plot – what little of it there is – is boring and almost free of action. Somewhere there's a statement about the condition of Vietnam veterans and their place in American society after the fighting, but it gets lost amid a terrifying '70s battle field of cheap, incessantly drivelling and dated music, and endless, repetitive shots of Mr. Williamson walking around the streets aimlessly.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Fred Williamson played a character called 'Johnny Barrows'. That was back in '74, in an episode of a crime television series called THE ROOKIES. Now, I've never seen that show, or even heard of it, but I guess that Williamson liked his role so much that he decided to make a film of his own about the character and this is the measly result. It's also Fred's first time behind the camera as director, and I have to say, to put it kindly, that he needs more practice.
Now, I like Fred Williamson, or "The Hammer" as he is nicknamed. I think he's great as an actor and he's a minor action star. He was fantastic in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, for instance, he had so much presence. Here, he's the most entertaining thing in the film, but even so he gives a poor performance. All the script requires is of him to walk up and down the streets over and over or sweep the floor. It's weird but the early part of the film – in which he works as a janitor – is more engaging than the hokey gangster stuff that finishes the movie. While Williamson makes a definite presence here, his fight scenes are frankly laughable, complete with sub-Bruce Lee sounds and Williamson striking absurd poses that bear no relevance to real-life fights.
The film is packed with plot holes and silly incidents that don't make much sense. The worst bit has to be the ending, involving the twist with the mine; while it might have seemed clever at the time, the question remains, how on earth did it get there? This moment beggars belief but adds a hilarious aside to an otherwise mainly dull production. Strangely, for such a low budget and uninspired film, Williamson assembled some big-name actors to take part. I guess they owed him a few favours, or perhaps he won them around with his charisma. In any case, we get Stuart Whitman as a big-haired gangster and Roddy McDowall as a weird-haired gangster, who gets his leg slashed with a knife in another entertaining moment. Elsewhere, Elliott Gould pops up in an amusing – and head-scratching – cameo appearance as a homeless man, while screen veteran R. G. Armstrong (familiar for his role as the general in PREDATOR) gives one of the best turns as the stuffy garage owner. Elsewhere, Jenny Sherman makes a small impact as the love interest and only female in the film; not because of her acting, but because she's naturally pretty, easy on the eye. As for Fred, well, he's Fred, and he's still cool despite all the nonsense that goes on in this film. Fans of gangster, blaxploitation and action films should steer well clear of this movie, as it doesn't offer much of value. Fred made lots of other cooler films in the 1970s and I recommend tracking one of those down instead of giving this one a go.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Fred Williamson played a character called 'Johnny Barrows'. That was back in '74, in an episode of a crime television series called THE ROOKIES. Now, I've never seen that show, or even heard of it, but I guess that Williamson liked his role so much that he decided to make a film of his own about the character and this is the measly result. It's also Fred's first time behind the camera as director, and I have to say, to put it kindly, that he needs more practice.
Now, I like Fred Williamson, or "The Hammer" as he is nicknamed. I think he's great as an actor and he's a minor action star. He was fantastic in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, for instance, he had so much presence. Here, he's the most entertaining thing in the film, but even so he gives a poor performance. All the script requires is of him to walk up and down the streets over and over or sweep the floor. It's weird but the early part of the film – in which he works as a janitor – is more engaging than the hokey gangster stuff that finishes the movie. While Williamson makes a definite presence here, his fight scenes are frankly laughable, complete with sub-Bruce Lee sounds and Williamson striking absurd poses that bear no relevance to real-life fights.
The film is packed with plot holes and silly incidents that don't make much sense. The worst bit has to be the ending, involving the twist with the mine; while it might have seemed clever at the time, the question remains, how on earth did it get there? This moment beggars belief but adds a hilarious aside to an otherwise mainly dull production. Strangely, for such a low budget and uninspired film, Williamson assembled some big-name actors to take part. I guess they owed him a few favours, or perhaps he won them around with his charisma. In any case, we get Stuart Whitman as a big-haired gangster and Roddy McDowall as a weird-haired gangster, who gets his leg slashed with a knife in another entertaining moment. Elsewhere, Elliott Gould pops up in an amusing – and head-scratching – cameo appearance as a homeless man, while screen veteran R. G. Armstrong (familiar for his role as the general in PREDATOR) gives one of the best turns as the stuffy garage owner. Elsewhere, Jenny Sherman makes a small impact as the love interest and only female in the film; not because of her acting, but because she's naturally pretty, easy on the eye. As for Fred, well, he's Fred, and he's still cool despite all the nonsense that goes on in this film. Fans of gangster, blaxploitation and action films should steer well clear of this movie, as it doesn't offer much of value. Fred made lots of other cooler films in the 1970s and I recommend tracking one of those down instead of giving this one a go.