Review of Dolemite (1975) by Daniel H — 02 Jan 2008

All in all, a pretty bad Blaxploitation film that really is just a vehicle for Rudy Ray Moore, who delivers the standard poor-quality Blaxploitation jive with an unrivaled edginess.

There ARE some redeeming movies in the Blaxploitation genre, but this not one of them, despite being amazingly popular. Drugs, Sex and Martial Arts as themes usually warrant some entertainment value, even if done poorly... but somehow, Dolomite fails to reach even that standard. When Dolomite fails, it doesn't do so in an entertaining B-Movie way, it just ends up being boring.

That said, Rudy Ray Moore's jive IS the best sounding of the era, if not necessarily the best written. In that regard, Dolomite is amazingly watchable, but the second Moore leaves the screen, which is often, you suddenly realize easy it is to fall asleep until you hear the sound of his voice again. Be sure you have friends to heckle the film between Moore's scenes, or you'll be out cold.