Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973)

Load of rubbish!!

Admirable film.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

After a funeral for what appears to be a very wealthy person, hit-man Roger E. Mosley (as Holmes) kills three men. The murders are increasingly painful, with the third man meeting a notably gruesome end. After this, Mr. Mosley meets with his employer, crime lord William Smith (as Martelli). Unhappy with the truck killing Mr. Smith wants Mosely to go undercover as a preacher and stop what's been interfering with Mr. Smith's operation. Mosley poses as "Jason Lee", a minister expected by the community who apparently meets his maker through the courtesy of Smith's henchmen. Mosley preaches and struts. Playing a sleazy politician, Michael Pataki (as Sam Sills) threatens to steal the show – trouble is, there isn't any show to steal. People strut around for a long time and we're never really sure how events connect. It's nice to see the Los Angeles locations and the first appearance of "The Jeffersons" maid Marla Gibbs, who became a big TV favorite.*** Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (5/25/73) Henning Schellerup ~ Roger E. Mosley, William Smith, Michael Pataki, Marla Gibbs

Even though it plays more like a TV movie than a theatrical release, this film captures early 70's LA street life inadvertently and entertainingly. Many scenes were shot out in the streets, at local joints, giving a glimpse of life at the time. Enjoyable scene at the nudie bar, and later at the girl's tiny apartment. Moseley is wonderful as the Preacherman, and there are many familiar faces in the cast throughout. It is not blaxploitation in the least, but rather a thought-provoking timestamp of urban black life, with the exploitation coming from the politicians and others involved with "Jason Lee", who quickly warms to his charade role as community and spiritual leader, while still bullying, beating and strong-arming those in his way. The action scenes are a bit stiff, the narrative a little slow moving, but there is much more to look at and be entertained by, like the mad fight in the baptismal font that cements Preacherman's destiny. Def worth watching.

The 70's produced a series of movies categorized as 'blaxploitation" films- low budget, campy cinema which featured a predominantly black cast. White actors were often cast as the villains, and a number of these movies were quite entertaining despite the bad dialog and low production values. The flashy 70's fashion and hip lingo add to the allure of these period pieces."Sweet Jesus, Preacherman" is unfortunately not one of the more worthy entries into this genre. Roger E. Moseley, best known for his role as Tom Selleck's sidekick "T.C." in CBS' Magnum, P.I. stars in the lead as a mobster looking to take control of the rackets while posing as a ghetto preacher. While an enjoyable character actor, Moseley lacks the magnetism of a Pam Grier, William Marshall or Fred Williamson to effectively carry the film.Lending the movie a degree of interest is bad guy extraordinaire William Smith, one of the greatest character actors ever, as Martelli, Moseley's boss. Smith was the master of making average to below average films watchable with his menacing portrayals and "Sweet Jesus" is no exception.Overall, not on a par with "Foxy Brown", "Blacula", "Black Gunn", "Coffy" and a number of other more enjoyable blaxploitation films of the time.

This blaxploitation movie about a hit man, played by Roger E. Mosley, who later became a co-star of Tom Selleck in "Magnum", isn't really worth to watch. William Smith plays his boss Martelli. But he doublecrosses Mosley and so he gets his bill at the end. Surely he is the bad guy, again. I've seen this movie somewhere in 1994 and I can tell you: If Bill Smith wouldn't be in it, it would not be worth to watch!