Bucktown

I utterly enjoyed Bucktown from whoa to go. This must have been one of Fred Williamson's better movies where he delivers as much as he usually talks. Pam Grier was great with her no nonsense attitude, not taking anyones jive lol (jive is such a great word). Does go a little nutso when the armoured vehicle is introduced but just roll with it and you will be fine. The villians, and there are heaps of them, are mega. They really provide some great moments and act as a good counterpoint for our heroes. Fits nicely towards the top of the Blaxploitation genre. Good laughs and good action save the day :)

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source: Bucktown

Enjoy Bucktown for what it is: a Western stuffed into a Blaxsploitation flick. Think about it, man comes to a small town to bury his brother, he gets people who want to drive him out, he brings in his own people, they get driven out, then they start their own thing. Or perhaps a Blaxsploitation take on Animal Farm, whatever works. At any rate, it is trying to be something a little different than the usual lot of Pimps and Hookers, and, hey, it's got Fred Williamson, it's got Pam Grier, it's got friggin' Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in a fun supporting role. It's unabashed fun and quasi-guilt-pleasure stuff, if not very filling as a full dramatic experience, and it ends on a fight that is so long somewhere Roddy Piper and Keith David are like "C'mon, man, wrap it up, man!"

Duke Johnson (superbly played by the almighty Fred Williamson) returns to his Southern home town only to discover that the local corrupt police force rules over the place with an iron fist. Johnson calls on several guys from the big city led by his smooth good buddy Roy (the terrific Thalmus Rasulala) to clean the hamlet up. Unfortunately, Roy and his nasty goons take over the crime racket after they wipe the cops out. Director Arthur Marks, working from a tough, smart and complex script by Bob Ellison, ably creates a hard, starkly amoral tone, maintains a steady pace throughout, and stages the action scenes with considerable brio (a ferocious protracted climactic fight between Duke and Roy rates as a definite exciting highlight). Moreover, the violence is every bit as rough and bloody as it ought to be. The bang-up cast qualifies as another significant asset: Pam Grier as Duke's fiery, sassy old flame Aretha, Tony King as slick sleazeball TJ, Bernie Hamilton as amiable drunk Harley, Art Lund as vice, hateful Chief Patterson, Tierre Turner as brash kid Steve, Morgan Upton as vicious deputy Sam, and Carl Weathers as brutal muscle Hambone. Both Robert Birchall's gritty, yet polished cinematography and Johnny Pate's funky, syncopated score are up to speed. An authentically funky grindhouse nugget.

The storyline threw me for a loop when I first saw it. For a 70's movie, this is good stuff. It's possibly Carl Weathers' first movie (he made two movies that year), and I wish he would've had more lines, but he really played his part well. I also love Tony King's role and how he played the part. He's the perfect villain. I love how the crew from Philadelphia came to town with style, attitude, and swagger dripping from their suits. Nevertheless, Fred Williamson was the ultimate Alpha male, and Pam Grier was the sweetest woman. The only not-so-good thing about this movie is the final fight scene. It could've been better.

Well, she doesn't show those Pammeries often (just one time) in this film, but just the chance to see Ms. Grier perform is worth the price of admission. She actually has a very meaty role in the 70s blaxploitation flick that also stars Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn), who is set to play Henry Kissinger in his 100th film this year; and Carl Weathers (Rocky I-IV, "In the Heat of the Night"), and Thalmus Rasulala (Willie Dynamite, Blacula). Bob Ellison's screenplay actually is interesting for the genre and the twist in the story is unique. And, did I mention it is another chance to see Ms. Grier?

WARNING--As with almost all blaxploitation films, this one has nudity, violence and a lot of rough language. This is NOT, I repeat, NOT a film for little kids, the easily offended or house pets. Just don't say I didn't warn you. The first half of this film is pretty standard stuff for a Blaxploitation film. Fred Williamson returns home for his brother's funeral and it's the first time he's been there in many years. He's shocked to see that a bunch of corrupt racist White cops are running the place. Fred is tired of getting the shakedown and hassled, so he brings in some out of town friends to put things right. This is pretty much the same plot as BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH, BOSS *IGGER and even I'M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA. And there aren't too many surprises as to what happens once this small and determined Black army hits town. However, there's a lot more to the film than this--taking the film from the usual to the extraordinary. After the town is saved, slowly the outside "friends" show their true colors. They really aren't that different from the old cops except that they are actually greedier and more cruel!! In other words, nice guy Fred Williamson is now stuck with having to fight the Black criminals--making this film different. In most Blaxploitation, the good guys and the bad guys are predictable--White power structure is evil and Black folks are almost always good (unless they are pimps or dealers working for Mr. Big). Here, however, the idea that power corrupts is illustrated--making for a more universal and deeper message. Now how Williamson responds ain't subtle (it's a lot like Bronson in DEATH WISH 2, 3 or 4) and it's a bit stupid, but it is entertaining. In addition to a better than usual plot, this film has an exceptional cast with Williamson, Pam Greer, Carl Weathers and a lot of other familiar faces. While this style film might not be your "cup of tea", if it is, you can't find one much better than this.

Bucktown (1975) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi and tells the tale of a man visiting his family's estate in the south after the death of his brother. When he tries to claim his brother's house and bar the local towns people and sheriff try to force a "tax" on him. The brother calls a few friends into town to hold off the locals and ensure he gets what is rightfully his. This movie is directed by Arthur Marks (Bonnie's Kid) and stars Fred Williamson (Dusk till Dawn), Pam Grier (Coffy), Carl Weathers (Rocky), Thalmus Rasulala (New Jack City) and Art Lund (Black Caesar). The storyline for this is entertaining to watch unfold. The background music is excellent and the cast is fun even if some of the performances are uneven. Fred Williamson was a perfect main character, Pam Grier is smoking hot and a young Carl Weathers is always entertaining. The action scenes were solid and the final fight was solid. Overall this isn't an all time great blaxploitation but it is entertaining and worth a viewing. I would score this a solid 6.5-7/10 and strongly recommend seeing it once.

After the death of his brother a man named "Duke Johnson" (Fred Williamson) travels down south to a place called "Bucktown" to attend the funeral. After the funeral he is pressured by his brother's friends to reopen the bar his brother owned long enough to sell it prior to departing back east. However, when he does this he finds that the entire police force of the town is corrupt and rather than being held hostage to extortion decides to call a friend to come down and help him out. Little does he realize that when he does this all hell is about to break loose. Now, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this movie had the potential to be an excellent "blaxploitation" movie especially given the fine performances of Pam Grier (as "Aretha") and the aforementioned Fred Williamson. Unfortunately, the story became more and more implausible as it progressed to the point that it totally lacked any semblance of realism toward the end. Even so I still thought it was somewhat enjoyable and I rate it as slightly above average.