Upon being released from San Quentin the first thing "Sidney Lord Jones" (Thalmus Rasululu) does is to head to Los Angeles with a plan that involves stealing $3 million in diamonds from a large brokerage there in the city. To do this he borrows $50,000 from a crime boss named "Bill Mercer" (Raymond St. Jacques) in order to hire three men to assist him with the heist. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned as one of the men is shot during the burglary and another is also shot when Mercer tries to double-cross Sidney and his crew. And then things go downhill from there. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a fairly good "Blaxploitation film" which had an interesting plot (even if it was apparently borrowed from "The Asphalt Jungle" some 22 years earlier) and some decent acting as well. Likewise, having an attractive actress like Judy Pace (as Sidney's girlfriend "Obalese Eaton") certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, those who enjoy films of this nature may want to check this one out and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

The idea behind this movie - remaking "The Asphalt Jungle" with a mostly black cast - did have some promise. But the end results fail in just about every way you can think of. The movie is directed in a way that has some real grit and atmosphere - you can feel the run down atmosphere of 1970s Los Angeles. And things are wrapped up in the end in a cynical way that you could only get in 1970s cinema. But the screenplay is a mess. It takes FOREVER for the movie to really start going. When the robbery is executed, it comes as a surprise, since we previous saw almost no preparation for it. And after the robbery, the movie slows down once again, unfolding so slowly that I think even the black audience this was aimed at was sorely bored. It doesn't help that there is not one sympathetic character in the entire movie. This is one breeze that has the scent of a real stinker.

A blaxploitation version of "The Asphalt Jungle" sounds like a really lame idea but the movie works out much better than you at first would expect.The 1950 John Huston movie "The Asphalt Jungle" was to me an unexpected brilliant movie. It's one of the best crime/film-noir's I've ever seen. I therefor also didn't expected much from this blaxploitation version of the same movie but I have to admit that the movie simply turned out to be a great one.Main reason why this movie works out so well is of course its story. No matter how you turn and change things around, the story, based on the W.R. Burnett novel remains a great and well layered one, with good characters in it. It's one of those movies that is not particularly well directed or acted out but lets its story allow the movie to be a great one.Also the atmosphere of the movie was good. It was of course not a film-noir type of typical atmosphere but '70's blaxploitation also always have a typical and good 'hip cat' atmosphere of their own, which I always enjoy, no matter how bad the movie. It also makes sure that you'll take the movie too seriously. You also really shouldn't take this movie too seriously and you should take the movie with a grain of salt. I was actually surprised by the amount of comical relief within this movie, mainly because the original story is such an original and heavy one but it of course certainly makes this movie an enjoyable movie to watch and it definitely works out well for the movie as a whole.Really, you should give this movie a chance.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

If you plan on watching this movie for the storyline, don't. Watch Asphalt Jungle instead. If you want to watch this movie because it's an excellent blaxploitation flick, PLEASE DO! It's a little long-winded, and starts to drag out at the end, so keep some munchies handy. (I also think that it tries to recreate Jungle with some veracity, which lends a bit of awkwardness at times.) However, keep eyes and ears open to the real exploitation going on in the film -- the white community that just does not "get it", the subtle jokes between the main characters concerning that fact, and the definite black pride (the pride not to be white) that the movie puts forth (although all of it from a paternalistic point of view, sadly.) Also, this was one of Pam Grier's breakout roles, so if you're a fan and expect to see a lot of her, you'll be disappointed, but Thalmus Rasulala more than makes up for it: he's the face you know but never can quite place, and is exactly the commanding presence and to-the-point bad boy that this movie needs. I left feeling like I needed to walk around with a wah-wah pedal playing my own little theme song for the rest of the day. (NOTE: I was able to see this film at a Library of Congress screening; it is my understanding that not many prints are available, and the film I saw actually broke half-way through but the technician was able to repair it. Good luck to you in getting the opportunity to see this one if you can.)