Bucktown

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fred Williamson / Pam Grier vehicle
Review: "Bucktown" is certainly less melodramatic and more savvy than most 70's blaxploitation fare. In this film, Fred Williamson stars as Duke, who returns home to Bucktown to bury his brother and resume business at his brother's bar - "Alabama". He soon discovers the corrupt white police force had his brother - alongside everyone else - in their pocket and intend to keep it that way. Urging against any confrontation is the eternally sexy Pam Grier as Aretha, a local at Alabama. Duke calls in some friends from the big city to oust the cops, who are led by Duke's longtime pal Roy. Once the cops are out, the grateful mayor wants to thank Duke's friends with a great parade; but unbeknownst to Duke, Roy and his crew have become aware of the power the police force had, and now they suddenly have other plans...

Pam Grier fans should note that she doesn't appear naked or even scantilly clad in every frame. She surprisingly appears classic and tasteful in fine outfits. The film is loaded with blaxploitation regulars. The final showdown of the film is tremendous, loaded with "I'm gonna beat you down, boy" prologues between Duke and Roy. There is also good use made of a tank in this film, but I don't want to spoil the whole experience for you. Check it out for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fred Williamson / Pam Grier vehicle
Review: "Bucktown" is certainly less melodramatic and more savvy than most 70's blaxploitation fare. In this film, Fred Williamson stars as Duke, who returns home to Bucktown to bury his brother and resume business at his brother's bar - "Alabama". He soon discovers the corrupt white police force had his brother - alongside everyone else - in their pocket and intend to keep it that way. Urging against any confrontation is the eternally sexy Pam Grier as Aretha, a local at Alabama. Duke calls in some friends from the big city to oust the cops, who are led by Duke's longtime pal Roy. Once the cops are out, the grateful mayor wants to thank Duke's friends with a great parade; but unbeknownst to Duke, Roy and his crew have become aware of the power the police force had, and now they suddenly have other plans...

Pam Grier fans should note that she doesn't appear naked or even scantilly clad in every frame. She surprisingly appears classic and tasteful in fine outfits. The film is loaded with blaxploitation regulars. The final showdown of the film is tremendous, loaded with "I'm gonna beat you down, boy" prologues between Duke and Roy. There is also good use made of a tank in this film, but I don't want to spoil the whole experience for you. Check it out for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Williamson Takes Over the Town, and the Film, Too
Review: As a soul cinema fan, it is hard for me to criticize this film, which unites two Afro-American icons, Pam Grier and Fred Williamson. Still, I must confess my disappointed feelings after watching "Bucktown," a rather mediocre film, considering those two fantastic leads.

"Bucktown" is a corrupt town where the corrupt cops donimate. Now Duke (Williamson), after his brother's suspicious death, comes back to this hometown (in a "Ger Carter" way), only to find himself trapped in between the hostile police and beautiful Aretha (Grier). Reluctantly he decides to stay there because of legal problems, and to manage the local bar. As (expectedly) the love between Aretha and Duke develops, the local police begin (expectedly) to show their true colors.

The film is given a unique twist here; Duke calls in his old buddy Roy (Thalmus Rasulala, regular of blaxploitation genre) to wage a war against the cops, but the result turns out worse than he hoped. The film tries to provide a new point of view on this genre, giving a picture of a conflict between blacks, but it seems the film doesn't know how to end this awkward situation.

Though the film is far from perfect, it keeps on going with a good pace, and Williamson as always shows his charismatic presense effectively though Pam Grier as a result is pushed aside to a minor role despite of her previous successful roles in "Coffy." My verdict is, "Bucktown" is not a terrible film as some critics label it, but it is, I must say, strictly for fans of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: Williamson Takes Over the Town, and the Film, Too
Review: As a soul cinema fan, it is hard for me to criticize this film, which unites two Afro-American icons, Pam Grier and Fred Williamson. Still, I must confess my disappointed feelings after watching "Bucktown," a rather mediocre film, considering those two fantastic leads.

"Bucktown" is a corrupt town where the corrupt cops donimate. Now Duke (Williamson), after his brother's suspicious death, comes back to this hometown (in a "Ger Carter" way), only to find himself trapped in between the hostile police and beautiful Aretha (Grier). Reluctantly he decides to stay there because of legal problems, and to manage the local bar. As (expectedly) the love between Aretha and Duke develops, the local police begin (expectedly) to show their true colors.

The film is given a unique twist here; Duke calls in his old buddy Roy (Thalmus Rasulala, regular of blaxploitation genre) to wage a war against the cops, but the result turns out worse than he hoped. The film tries to provide a new point of view on this genre, giving a picture of a conflict between blacks, but it seems the film doesn't know how to end this awkward situation.

Though the film is far from perfect, it keeps on going with a good pace, and Williamson as always shows his charismatic presense effectively though Pam Grier as a result is pushed aside to a minor role despite of her previous successful roles in "Coffy." My verdict is, "Bucktown" is not a terrible film as some critics label it, but it is, I must say, strictly for fans of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Revenge Movie!
Review: Fred Williamson is cool as ever-- though the character he plays, Duke, is an ex-football player-- okay, not much of a stretch..

Still, you can't front on the action that takes place when Duke takes on the corrupt police force in his old hometown--

The cast includes several blaxploitation regulars: The sheriff, played by Art Lund, also menaced Williamson as a crooked cop in BLACK CAESAR.

Bernie Hamilton went on to play STARSKY & HUTCH's police boss Captain Dobey, and he shows up here as a longtime Bucktown resident who spends too much time at the local bar that Duke's brother owned before his death..

Pam Grier is more subdued in this piece, not the "kick-behind-chick" of most of her roles.. But golly, is she fine as ever..

Thalmus Rasulala (Blacula, What's Happening) is Duke's big-city hustling pal Roy, who recruits a gang of cronies to give some payback to the redneck cops who terrorize the black residents of Bucktown. Among the cronies is "Hambone", played by future ROCKY star Carl Weathers.

After Duke, Roy and the gang send the crooked cops running (and violently so), they unofficially take the place of the cops in running the protection scam-- Duke is reluctant, but Roy revels in his newfound power. For the moment, Roy and Duke come to a compromise, as Roy promises not to "lean" on the townsfolk like the cops did..

But Roy's over-zealous henchmen could care less about being civil, as they roughhouse everyone who crosses their path, including Grier and Hamilton, the latter of whom is brutally beaten-- Next on their hit list is Duke, as he and Grier are assaulted in his home.. That sets the stage for Duke to get some long-coming revenge, assisted by a local boy who becomes his sidekick..

The showdown between Duke and Roy is long and bloody-- and satisfying...

Amidst all the mayhem in this film, some sly social commentaries are made: The kid who befriends Duke is a hustler wannabe, and has a precocious knowledge of all the nightlife vices in Bucktown-- "Girls, gambling, we got it all!"

Also, the audience is introduced to the cold reality that Black political corruption and criminality is just as dastardly as when it is done by Whites-- turning the tables on the traditional source of inner-city social ills in post-civil-rights-era America.

Rating:
Summary: cool film
Review: this film worked really well.Both The "Hammer"&Pam Grier get down to Business here.it's so sad at how they didn't get there Props back in the day because films like this Showcase how tight they were on screen&they always had alot of Great Action in the films.Pam Grier still Blows My Mind She is SuperBaddd!!

Rating:
Summary: cool film
Review: this film worked really well.Both The "Hammer"&Pam Grier get down to Business here.it's so sad at how they didn't get there Props back in the day because films like this Showcase how tight they were on screen&they always had alot of Great Action in the films.Pam Grier still Blows My Mind She is SuperBaddd!!

Rating:
Summary: And I was there....
Review: What can I say, I'm bias, why... not because this was another of those "black" films everyone thought should be made but because I actually had a small bit part in it. Yep, stood out there in the cold of Platte City (MO), with about 16 other extras. Saw the open call for extras on the bulletin board at school and answered the call. Hey, no money, no true fame, but at least my segment didn't get tossed to the cutting room floor and it was fun "being in a movie"

Rating:
Summary: And I was there....
Review: What can I say, I'm bias, why... not because this was another of those "black" films everyone thought should be made but because I actually had a small bit part in it. Yep, stood out there in the cold of Platte City (MO), with about 16 other extras. Saw the open call for extras on the bulletin board at school and answered the call. Hey, no money, no true fame, but at least my segment didn't get tossed to the cutting room floor and it was fun "being in a movie"

Rating:
Summary: And I was there....
Review: What can I say, I'm bias, why... not because this was another of those "black" films everyone thought should be made but because I actually had a small bit part in it. Yep, stood out there in the cold of Platte City (MO), with about 16 other extras. Saw the open call for extras on the bulletin board at school and answered the call. Hey, no money, no true fame, but at least my segment didn't get tossed to the cutting room floor and it was fun "being in a movie"