shawnblackman Not a very common blaxsploitation film released through Universal Pictures. This one had a decent budget and starred the one and only Gordon from Sesame Street (Roscoe Orman). It was a little odd watching him play a pimp but he did do an amazing job. I wonder if this role landed him the job as Gordon.This isn't really exploitative at all with no violence or nudity instead tells a story of a pimps hardships with the police always arresting his girls and shaking him down constantly. His competition works him over as well every chance they get. His biggest problem seems to be his mother who obviously disapproves of his life choice.A great film all the way through but the only thing missing was a funky soundtrack.

jfgibson73 This was an entertaining story that made good use of its 1970s New York setting. Willie is trying to keep his position as the most profitable pimp in the city, but the heat are coming down hard. He has an enemy in a politically active social worker trying to liberate the women in his stable, and he has pressure from the other pimps to follow a group plan to out-maneuver the law. Willie doesn't want to deal with any of it; he just wants things to continue the way they have been. Eventually it starts to fall apart; the heat make trouble, costing him time and money, his women get pulled, disfigured, and killed, and his momma passes away after learning the truth about Willie's career. Willie then decides to rethink things, and the social worker turns supportive, offering him compassionate council, and with one conversation, he decides to turn his life around. For me, the weak parts were the chase sequences, as they tended to go on too long. It was also too abrupt when Willie reformed; it would have been a better story if they could have shown it to be a slow, gradual process. Something that stuck out was the sound design; you can hear every movement of fabric in this movie. If someone shifts in their seat, you hear their coat rubbing against the chair. The audio was like a high quality FM signal, and the main character's voice was especially resonant, so that was a plus. Bell was an entertaining protagonist, with the highlight being the first scene of the movie: the pimp council. This story remains fresh and interesting, despite the dated fashions. I think you could make pretty much the same movie today, and the message of unchecked ambition would be just as relevant.

Scarecrow-88 What is uncanny about Willie Dynamite is that the film is able to take this despicable, self-absorbed, sadistic pimp and humanize him. How director Gilbert Moses and actor Roscoe Orman(as Dynamite)pull this off is worthy of applause. The destruction left by his devious activities are of focus in this blaxploitation effort. Cora(Diana Sands, in a solid performance), a social worker, attempts to pry a lovely young prostitute, Pashen(Joyce Walker)from the clutches of Dynamite's powerful influence. Willie Dynamite decides to take his pimping solo, splitting from his colleagues, securing wealthy clientèle for his girls. Dynamite lives it up lavishly, while his girls are treated to second hand "glamor" wardrobe they believe is high-class. Meanwhile, Dynamite's fellow pimps are seeking after him, not appreciative of his decision to separate from their network which brought forth quite an enterprise. The police are after Willie, hoping to pin the right crime on him that'll stick, forcing him off the streets. Dynamite has a reputation for getting his girls hooked on narcotics, when their worth is depleted and value diminished sending them away to fall into destitution. Cora, understanding his dangerous nature, wishes to see Willie taken down, soon recognizing that despite his corrupt ways, he's still a human being in need of guidance.The film starts out as almost a comedy where these pimps, with their pomp and attitude, driving their colorful cars and wearing their vibrant custom suits, fur coats, and flashy hats, are almost caricatures, over-the-top creations broadly performed by the African-American cast. But, as the film progresses, it gets dead serious and we see how the life style of a pimp can, in fact, lead to tragedies of severe magnitude. Preshen almost succeeds in getting away from the whoring business, but through Willi's commanding dominating personality, he's able to convince her to stay, with the consequences of her brief imprisonment leading to a devastating abuse threatening a potential modeling career. Dynamite's mother(..and their family)have always been told that he was an important music producer, explaining the gifts and other extravagances he could give her..the truth revealed and the possible incarceration of her son yields a terrible reaction. And, as competition arises, one of Willie's top girls is killed by a throat slash during an altercation over rich clients. It's a domino effect that leads to Willie's downward spiral, everything that happens contributed to his bad behavior, repercussions deriving from his mistakes and avarice. It's a hoot seeing Orman, a fixture on Sesame Street, in the role of a lecherous pimp! Shooting on the streets in many cases adds a grit and grime providing an authenticity that gives the material presented extra punch. Orman, at times, can be pretty electrifying, and his character, for most of the running time, is easy to root against for he's not very likable at all. Great chase scene as Willie attempts to break free from two detectives on his tail, while hoping to recover hidden drugs stashed away for safe keeping.

movieman_kev Roscoe Orman is Willie D, a sad sack of a pimp who embodies the Godfather of WWF(E)'s saying "Pimpin' ain't easy". His pimp-mobile is constantly getting towed, his hoes get busted, he's getting audited, and to top it off some uppity knee-jerk liberal activist wants his bitches to unionize. It would be among the best Pimpsploitation movies, if it didn't get so damn melodramatic towards the end. Willie's pimping clothes are, in a word, Dynamite (especially this one hilarious huge hat he wears at one point). By the way, this isn't the last of Willie, oh no it ain't. He got his ass together, changed his name to Gordon R. and now he can show you how to get, how to get to Sesame Street. Hope he wasn't the one to pimp Ernie out to Bert.Best Line: (Willie in a line-up shouting about his coat) "It's Lamb!! IT'S LAMB!!!"My Grade: C Where i saw it: Black Stars