Dolemite
1975 | R | 1 Hr 30 Min | Action | Demmention Pictures
Director:
D'Urville Martin
Writers:
Jerry Jones
Rudy Ray Moore
Stars:
Rudy Ray Moore
D'Urville Martin
Jerry Jones
Synopsis:
Dolemite is a pimp who was set up by Willie Greene and the cops, who have planted drugs, stolen furs, and guns in his trunk and got him sentenced to 20 years in jail. One day, Queen B and a warden planned to get him out of Jail and get Willie Green and Mitchell busted for what they did to him. However, Dolemite is no stupid man and has a lot of warriors backing him, such as his call girls, who are Karate Experts--and lots more...
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| "You no-business, born-insecure, jock-jawed motherf#@ker!" Dolemite |
70s Blaxploitation
Growing up I could not have told you what Blaxploitation was nor did I care. All I know was picking up the VHS cover at the local rental center and seeing movies like Shaft, Foxy Brown, and Cooley High looked fun leading to that Saturday afternoon rental. Of course, I had no real clue who Rudy Ray Moore was other than a record my buddy once had and it is a shame I missed out on the whole Dolemite craze. Moore may not be an A list actor or heck a C list at most he was still a delight to watch has he fumbled around the screen bringing his charter to life. And boy I love my B movies so I was right at home with this one. Sure it's not Black Dynamite or Coffy in terms of look and polish but that is what gives Dolemite its charm.
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| "Can you dig it?" Dolemite |
Dolemite the Man
Moore first developed the character of Dolemite in his stand-up comedy routines, and later appeared on his 1970 debut album, Eat Out More Often, which reached the top 25 on the Billboard 200. He released several more comedy albums using this persona. In 1975, Moore decided to create a film about Dolemite, paying for most of the production out of his own pocket, and using many of his friends and fellow comedians as cast and crew and according to Dolimete's my Name (2019) a lot of hard work and hustling. Also, directed by D'Urville Martin, who appears as the villain Willie Green and made appearances on All in the Family, The Cosby Show, and as a villain in many other films would finish his career with 1984s The Bear before suffering a heart attack at the young age of 45.
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| D'Urville Martin |
Grab your Popcorn it's going to be a fun ride.
Dolemite must use his sharp tongue and karate skills to find the source of the crime and take down Willie Green (D’Urville), a ruthless crime boss. Moore is absolutely awful as an actor, however, the character of Dolemite is simply amazing. Nearly every strained line that comes out of his mouth is a classic and simply begs to be quoted. For example, when one of Dolemite’s ladies proclaims she’s afraid of ghosts, Dolemite reassures her by exclaiming “Ghosts? If you ever see a ghost cut the mother f@#ker.” While Moore’s performance is poor, nearly everyone else is even worse. That being said, the terrible acting actually makes the film more charming and provides more comedy, though it was certainly unintentional.
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| "Man, move over and let me pass 'fore they have be to pullin' these Hush Puppies out your motherf@#kin' a$$!" |
Is it worth your time?
On a technical level, No. It is hands down some of the worst editing I’ve ever seen in a movie with frequent cuts and unmatched jumps that lead to missing dialog maybe? And those boom mics wow. Again, this sloppiness would detract from most movies, but in Dolemite it just made it all the more comical. So with that Dolemite is simply not to be missed. It summarizes everything that makes 70s grindhouse cinema such a joy to watch. It’s poorly directed, scripted, acted, and edited, but somehow remains an entertaining laugh riot. Dolemite is like the crazy drunk buddy that has no filter and hits on all the girls in the bar. It’s dirty, offensive, and full of its self, and a shit ton of fun I was digging every second of it.
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| 3 out of 4 stars |
If you have not seen Dolemite and plan on watching this plus
Dolemite's My Name I suggest checking this one out first I wish I did.
