Boss Nigger (1975)

So much average

Better Late Then Never

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I love the prototypic and legendary Blaxploitation classics, such as "Black Ceasar" or "Shaft" for example, as much as the next cult cinema fanatic, but I must admit I always had a slight preference for– what I call them – "Blaxploitation with a plus" movies. I refer to the Blaxploitation films that simultaneously also venture into a totally different genre, like horror ("Blackula", "Abby") or psychedelic ("Ganja and Hess") or even Western. "Black Bounty Hunter", which is the alternative title that I'm forced to use because the website doesn't allow the usage of the titular N-word, is one of the only existing Blaxploitation westerns ever made! That little trivia aspect alone makes the film worth tracking down, and then I haven't even mentioned the fact that it is written by and starring the almighty Fred Williamson and directed by B-monster movie veteran Jack Arnold ("Creature from the Black Lagoon", "It came from Outer Space"). The film is fundamentally a parody of the western genre, but with plenty enough violence and action to satisfy hard-boiled genre fanatics, and with stellar acting performances and a funky swinging soundtrack atop. Whilst on the tail of wild west villain Jed Clayton, Boss and his loyal right hand Amos ride through the insignificant and Sheriff-less little town of San Miguel. Without consulting the townsfolk, and much against the will of the cowardly mayor Griffin, Boss declares himself Sheriff and Amos his deputy. They upset the conservative locals with their new laws and freshly invented money penalties, while patiently waiting for Jed to cross their paths. The comedy doesn't always work, except for a few notable moments with D'Urville Martin at his best, but the western action is old-fashioned good! Terrific supportive roles for R.G. Armstrong as the sleazy mayor and the stunning Barbara Leigh as one of Boss' romantic interests.

Boss Ni*ger (1975) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Boss (Fred Williamson) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) are bounty hunters who travel to a small town being ran by a corrupt Mayor. Boss is waiting on a bad guy to show up and in the mean time decides to make himself Sheriff, which doesn't sit well with the racist white locals but they're going to learn that there's one way to do things and that's up to the Boss. In case you didn't read the title, this here is blaxploitation 101 and without question the best I've seen from the genre. Director Arnold is best known for CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON but he handles this material perfectly and not only delivers the perfect blaxploitation movies but also a pretty good Western. What works best here is Williamson's screenplay, which clearly shows that he knows how to write dialogue but it also shows he's just as brave as the characters he plays because there are all sorts of rules broken here and this helps keep the viewer on high alert because you never know what's going to happen. Every racist remake ever made towards a black person are present here and played for laughs in how over the top they are but they then lead to some hard hitting action as Williamson really does lay down the Hammer. The racial slurs are downright hilarious especially one scene where a dumb redneck tells Williamson to "shine his shoes" and the Hammer goes up to him acting like a shoe shiner. The way Williamson plays this and eventually pays it off is just downright brilliant and is clearly a highlight of the genre. Some get shot while others are forced to keep handing money over in fines but the Hammer deals with them all. What I respect most about the film and its screenplay is that Williamson isn't afraid to not play by the rules and the reason I say this is because certain people are killed throughout and these are the type of people that never get killed in films like this. The action scenes are great as are the stunts and Arnold knows how to use the slow motion oh so well. In some ways this film spoofs BLAZING SADDLES, which is pretty funny considering that film was a spoof to begin with. The sensitive should probably stay clear but if you want brave and fun film-making than this here is the top of the blaxploitation genre.

I am amazed at how positive some of the reviews are for this barely mediocre Baxploitation Western--especially considering it seems like a ripoff of "Blazing Saddles" (made in 1974). The plot involves two Black bounty hunters with attitude who arrive in town and take over the job of sheriff and deputy. Unlike "Blazing Saddles", this film isn't all comedy but a sort of hybrid action-comedy picture. However, the comedy isn't all that funny (D'Urville Martin can't carry this off by himself) and the action isn't as good as most of the star's (Fred Williamson) other films. Another major problem is that while having an anachronistic sheriff in the Mel Brooks film worked, here it just feels like "Black Caesar" stuck on the range--a very odd and unconvincing switch to say the least. It's more like wish fulfillment than anything you might have really seen in the West.So let's say that you ignore how ridiculous the story is. In this case, is the film worth seeing? Well, yes and no. It certainly isn't brilliantly made nor does it make the case that there should have been more Black Westerns and some of the plot is pretty silly. On the other hand the film is rather fun to watch if you are looking to see a bunch of angry racist Whites get theirs--but this just isn't enough of a payoff to recommend the film. Overall, undemanding and silly. Not really so much bad,...just not very good.FYI--When you try to use the title of the film in the review, it is prohibited by IMDb. I am not upset by this, but not mentioning the title of a film in the review can be a tad difficult!

Fred Williamson and D'urville Martin are two black bounty hunters that stumble into a town that is sorely in need of a sheriff. So what do they do? Why make themselves the sheriff and deputy of course. Now we know the white folk won't take a liking to that, especially the local bandit (played by William Smith) and his gang a' crackers. Not particularly distinguished from the blaxploitation Western sub-sub genre and not nearly as wild as the name suggests, 'Boss N!gger' is still good fun with a lot of humor (supplied mostly by Martin) and well-directed action scenes.