Pluskylang Great Film overall

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Uriah43 When a black militant group led by "Scott Gunn" (Herbert Jefferson Jr.) break into a gambling operation and steals cash and some important ledgers from a West Coast syndicate it ignites the possibly of severe racial unrest which then becomes a top concern for the local law enforcement. Since these ledgers are extremely important the mafia orders one of their newly promoted executives by the name of "Capelli" (Martin Landau) to track down whoever stole them and retrieve them by any means necessary. Although Scott downplays the situation his older brother, who operates a nightclub and simply goes by the name of "Gunn" (Jim Brown), realizes the danger and advises Scott to hide out until he can come up with a plan. Unfortunately, the mafia finds out where Scott is hiding and and kills him. And Gunn wants revenge. Anyway, for a "black exploitation" this one wasn't too bad. Jim Brown put on a decent enough performance as did Bruce Glover (as "Ray Kriley") and the aforementioned Martin Landau. I also liked the presence of both Brenda Sykes ("Judith") and Luciana Paluzzi ("Toni Lombardo"). All things considered, I thought this was one of the better films of this genre and I rate it as above average.

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Typical 1970's black-exploitation movie with big macho bad a** Jim Brown, as the genteel and soft spoken nightclub owner Mr Gunn,taking on the West Coast Mafia with a little help from his friends. The friends that help Gunn in wiping out the mob are the black militant members of BAG, The Black Action Group, a Black Panther like movement. Made up of mostly Vietnam Vets BAG is out to free the "Hood"-or East L.A-from illegal drugs and and the violence that result from them by using a little violence themselves.Gunn at first isn't at all interested in any violence in freeing his people from the mob that controls East L.A until his hot headed brother Scottie, Herb Jefferson Jr, gets murdered and left at his door-step. You see Scottie and members of the BAG had ripped off a mob controlled bookie joint and not only taken off with the days profits but the pay-off books! Those books can implicate everyone in the city from the major and police commissioner on down in being on the take to the Mafia.You get the usual heroics that you would expect from a Jim Brown movie with Jim, as Mr. Gunn, going on a revenge trip in finding who was behind Scottie's murder and making him pay for it. It isn't an easy task for Mr. Gunn since when we first saw him he was a peaceful and law abiding businessman where violence was totally alien to him. By the time the movie ended Mr. Gunn had gunned down some two dozen people stolen a number of cars blown up half of the L.A dock and, after illegally breaking and entering into his swank apartment, worked over Ray Kriley, Bruce Glover, the mobster who did in Scottie. With all this law breaking all the LAPD had on Gunn was a reckless driving charge, with a stolen car no less, that was dropped making it possible for him to keep his liqueur license as well as control of his popular L.A nightclub "The Gunn's Cub"!Besides Jim Brown the major reason for watching "Black Gunn'" is actor Martin Landau as Mafia Boss Rus Capelli. Overacting like crazy Landau as Russ Capelli, who uses the cover of a TV used car salesman, came across more like a corny stand-up comic then a Mafia Chieftain.***SPOILERS*** In the final showdown at the L.A dock Capilli has Mr. Gunn captured by his hoods but foolishly, with his obnoxious overacting, lets him get away. It's then that a machine-gun toting Gunn, together with members of the BAG, wipes out Capilli's whole organization. As for Carpelli he-or Martin Landau's stunt double-ends up immolating himself because he forgot, when a burning barrel of gasoline came barreling down on him, to duck!

Scott_Mercer Jim Brown deadpans his way through Black Action Film heaven. All the touchstones are here: The Mafia, a Black Panthers rip-off, drugs, trashy whores, nasty pimps, jittery dealers and even sweatier addicts, fist fights, gun play, drug dealers, revenge killings, psycho hit men, racial slurs, car chases, stolen cars, and explosions. Even more than that, plenty of early Seventies atmosphere here to enjoy: giant sedans, huge lapels, enormous hair, used car dealers, bowling, black revolutionaries, sexy stewardesses, and lots of fuzz guitar, tremolo and wah-wah pedals on all the music.Jim Brown is a schmoove nightclub owner (this is an adult nightclub, kids, where the immaculately coiffed adults eat steak, drink whiskey and slow-dance to overproduced soul easy listening music) who's cooler than a cucumber popsicle. His uncool little brother is in with BAG, the Black Action Group, who get deep into it when they steal money and ledger books from THE MOB.The greasy mobsters aren't gonna put up with that, so they put out the word: find those lousy #$$%*#* and kill 'em. But little brother hid the ledgers at Gunn's nightclub/suave bachelor pad. So they kill the brother anyway, and that REALLY makes Gunn mad. It's all-out war now, and Gunn has to avoid both the Fuzz and BAG on his one-man war of vengeance. There are some slow spots here and there, but the action sequences make up for the few slack bits. Brown is not going to be doing heavy drama anytime soon, but he does what he does here extremely well. Highly recommended for fans of Black Action Cinema.

gridoon Jim Brown, the personification of coolness, is the nightclub owner who decides to avenge his brother's murder and begins a war against the local Mafia. Familiar but enjoyable, thanks largely to Brown's presence, and to some dynamic action scenes. Two interesting things: the use of wide-angle lenses during a fight scene, and a strong supporting role for the actor who was memorable as one of the two homosexual goons in "Diamonds Are Forever". (**1/2)