poe426
Jim Kelly, "introduced" first in MELINDA in 1972 and then again in ENTER THE DRAGON the following year, was one of the more personable of the "point karate" players to try to make it big on The Big Screen. Unfortunately, Kelly put his fate in the hands of director Robert Clouse, who seemed determined to be remembered as a maker of Grade-Z motion pictures. While Kelly was no great acting talent, he DID have enough personality to carry a B-movie like this one- provided the director was on his game (which, in this case, he wasn't). Kelly's limited kicking skills made for some often uninteresting fight scenes (in MELINDA, for instance, he literally had to jump up on the hood of a car to kick a man in the head), especially when he was paired with a real kicker like Dorian Tan (THE TATTOO CONNECTION)- who had no trouble whatsoever outshining his co-star. (Kelly also seemed to have trouble grasping the difference between Reality and Fantasy: at one point, he challenged former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier to a no-holds-barred fight. Kelly lucked out when Frazier laughed off the challenge.) (And it's interesting to note that very few of the "point" karate players went on to full-contact careers when full-contact karate became a reality...) The most glaring example of Kelly's limitations comes in BLACK BELT JONES when he faces off against a bunch of bad guys in a car wash: knee-deep in suds (which are very slippery), his kicking is even less impressive than normal; he literally seems afraid to lose his balance (which is understandable)- and the skinny stunt-double with the outrageously ridiculous afro wig is yet another example of Clouse's misdirection. I saw this one at a walk-in theater when it was first released, and later at a drive-in, and the one constant through all of my viewings has been the realization that this is NOT a good movie- it never was and it ain't NOW.
johnc2141
I disagree with most of the critics that call this one of the worst films ever made,along with the video of the 50 worst movies ever,many of which i enjoyed.black belt jones is an enjoyable action/comedy/melodrama starring the great Jim Kelly who was in enter the dragon a year before with the late great;Bruce Lee.the only thing is the mob guys in the movie are just too goofy and stupid.and the thugs as well.the ending is really good,not giving away spoilers but black belt jones is very entertaining.maybe not as great as enter the dragon,but it holds its own.Mel Novak who played in a few Bruce Lee films plays one of the mob guys.i would rate this on a scale with three the hard way and the black gestapo.Jim Kelly does his own stunts and i believe trained with the late Bruce Lee.so if you hear this was one of the worst movies,don't believe it.i believe the critic Joe Bob Briggs would possibly agree.7 out of 10.
Lee Eisenberg
Sort of picking up where "Enter the Dragon" left off, "Black Belt Jones" casts Jim Kelly as African-American martial arts expert "Black Belt" Jones trying to stop the mafia from taking over a martial arts training center once owned by friend Pop Byrd (Scatman Crothers).Obviously, the Me Decade was partly known for blaxploitation movies, but that's one of the things that made the decade so great. Here, Jim Kelly really shows off his kicks (presumably learned by his character in "Enter the Dragon", also directed by Robert Clouse).Well, all that I can say is: fight on, brothers! Never let The Man tell you what to do!
Infofreak
There's no way on earth I'm gonna argue that 'Black Belt Jones' is a great movie, even a very good one, but no matter how silly and cheesy it gets it's a hell of a ride and lots of fun! Let's face it this is b-grade exploitation fare deliberately designed to cash in on both the mid-70s blaxploitation boom and the success of Bruce Lee's martial arts classic 'Enter The Dragon'. Dragon's director Robert Clouse (who also made the hugely enjoyable post-apocalyptic potboiler 'The Ultimate Warrior') took karate champion Jim Kelly, who co-starred with Lee and John Saxon in that film, and tried to start a spin-off franchise with him. The big problem was that Kelly certainly had the fighting chops but his acting was only so-so and he was one of the least charismatic of all the blaxploitation leading men. Just compare him to Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree or Ron O'Neal and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, for one movie at least it didn't really matter. Kelly stars as Black Belt Jones who returns to the inner city karate school where he got his start after the death of his mentor Pop Byrd (the wonderful Scatman Crothers, who yes, kicks some butt before he is killed, a sight you'll never forget!). Jones teams up with Pop's estranged daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry of 'Black Caesar' and 'Savage Sisters'), also a fighter, and his peeps to avenge Pop's death. The rest of the cast includes Eric Laneuville ('The Omega Man'), Earl Brown (Whisper from 'Live And Let Die'), and even Isaac the bartender from 'The Love Boat' as a Black Panther! This is a silly movie, but still loads of fun, with some very entertaining fight sequences, and some laughs, intentional and unintentional. 'Black Belt Jones' is mandatory viewing for all 1970s trash buffs.
AD
