After he is released from prison, a well-respected pimp with kung
fu skills goes after the criminals and corrupt cops who framed him. ACTION/CRIME
|
Dolemite (1975)Directed by D'Urville Martin
Written by Jerry Jones and Rudy Ray Moore Starring Rudy Ray Moore, D'Urville Martin, Jerry Jones, Lady Reed, Hy Pyke, Wesley Gale, Brenda DeLong, Terri Mosley |
Boy, how I wish I could have experienced the fun that was the exploitation era of film. A particular type of film which proved so hugely popular that it spawned various offshoots in the increasingly popular subgenre. Sexploitation, nunploitation, women in prison, and blaxploitation. These are just a few that would define films featuring plenty of blood and boobs. Of all these, though, one could argue it was blaxploitation which would become the most profitable of the bunch with a very rich legacy. Made in response to various social issues of the time, these films would give the black community heroes and stories they could relate to. Now, where does Dolemite fit into all this? Quite easily, actually. Popular comedian Rudy Ray Moore decided to take one of his more famous characters he would use during his standup and turn it into a feature film. After various issues with the shooting of Dolemite, it would go on to become a hit and classic in its own right. Now widely considered one of the definitive blaxploitation films, how does it stack up all these years later? Let’s find out.
Rudy Ray Moore stars as our title character. That’s right, not only did he come up with the idea for this movie, he also stars in it. And, for the most part, he’s pretty good. Yeah, he looks pretty tired and lethargic during his fight scenes. But, he’s clearly giving it his all and having a good time for most of this movie. He also delivers what is now hands down one of my now favorite bits of dialogue: “Dolemite is my name. And fucking up motherfuckers is my game.” This is delivered towards the end and it’s glorious. The rest of the cast is hit and miss for the most part. The main miss being the two, white FBI agents. I don’t know if they were directed a certain way, but most of their line delivery is pretty flat. The only other negative I really have is the pace can be slow at times. Not all the time, but every so often. As for the action scenes, I loved them. Yes, they are cheesy. Yes, it looks incredibly fake. But, that is the charm of these early exploitation films. They were cheaply made but filled with enthusiasm for the craft. Gotta love it. I am a huge sucker for the exploitation films of the 60's and 70's. It could be because I’m a big horror fan. It could be due to my love of director Wes Craven (his first movie, The Last House on the Left, is one of the best exploitation films I’ve had the pleasure of viewing). I honestly don’t know. But I love them nonetheless. And I can see why Dolemite has become a classic in its own right. It carries its roots proudly on its sleeve and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Even with its, at times, lethargic pacing and goofy fight scenes, this is a lot of fun to watch. Can ya dig it? |
Eddie Murphy's biographical turn as Rudy Ray Moore in Netflix's Dolemite Is My Name is the talk of the film community right now. I knew that if I watched it without any frame of reference, I wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much. Hence, 1975's Dolemite, a bizarre movie that is so delightfully amateur and represents the very soul of the blaxpoitation movement. It loses major points for its serious lack of any coherent story, but it's a fun cult hit that is a fun watch, if only because its so overtly ridiculous.
Rudy Ray Moore is Dolemite, a pimp with a heart of gold who is released from prison by the warden because he wants him to help take down the real crime lords in town. Already, completely nonsensical, but okay, let's see where this is going. Dolemite knows karate, and it's hilarious watching the out-of-shape Moore struggle to lift his leg to do a roundhouse kick, if that's what you can call it. But let's be honest here. This isn't exactly an award-winning masterpiece, and we all know that. It's a movie that came about because Rudy Ray Moore wanted to be famous, and this film is a crazy action flick that he had a lot of fun making. And that's what it's all about. Dolemite doesn't really hold up these days. Hell, it was pretty tough back in '75. But I think that Murphy's biopic is gonna give it a big resurgence and introduce it to a whole new audience. It's tough to follow the story, and a few plot threads disappear halfway through, but if you can put that out of your mind, you'll have a fun hour and a half watching something really weird. |