Review of Three the Hard Way (1974) by Chris W — 06 Jan 2011

Jim Kelly, Jim Brown, and Fred Williamson star in an action film directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. with music by The Impressions!?!? HOLY SHIT!!! This sounds like a blaxploitation dream come true.

For as fun and entertaining as this movie is however, it is a disappointment since it is not the masterpiece it had the potential to be. That's a damn shame too. I still like this movie, even though it failed to live up to my expectations.

The plot involves a group of white supremacists who plot to town the water supplies of three major American cities. The substance they plan to use is lethal...only to African Americans. It's actually a pretty interesting idea. I now know where they came up with the similar plot used in Black Dynamite. The main issue with this film is the script itself. Things are pretty thin and undercooked ,and there's no real character developent. In fact, I can't really remember how the characters are supposed to be connected.

I should probably dock this one some more points, but the csst is good, and they're pretty likeable, and the action rocks. That, and the music is pretty hard to dislike as well. Overall, this is a fair enough action romp, even if it's flawed and leaves something to be desired.