The Baron

1977 "HOLLYWOOD FANTASY, DRUG MONEY AND MOB MURDER... THE BARON'S GOT HIS HANDS FULL!"
5.4| 1h29m| en
Details

A black actor tries to make his own movie with an all-black cast, but to make it he's forced to borrow money from the Mafia.

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Reviews

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
stevenfallonnyc "The Baron" really is quite the mess. This was included in a cheap package with a bunch of other "urban" films. Not a good movie by any means, but fun, and there are certain reasons to keep at it.The first of course is the great Calvin Lockhart, who just shines in pretty much anything he is in. He's a black filmmaker fighting "the man" to get a film made, but who has to get shady after turning down a deal that would have turned his movie(with Lockhart playing "The Baron," a devil-may-care wealthy adventurer) into a "white" movie. He gets involved with the mob and other shady characters.The leader of the mob, "Joey," is played by the great Richard Lynch, who is always perfect at playing scum. I've seen him on Galactica, Buck Rogers, and in "The Seven-Ups" and he's just fantastic. It was a very pleasant surprise that he was in this! And he is definitely a mean SOB. Lynch is so good at playing these roles that seeing him in 'real life' acting nicely must be a shock.Joan Blondell appears as the rich white woman who eventually supports pretty boy Calvin. And there are some other familiar 70's movie faces as well.The film really isn't that well made, but Lockhart, Lynch and the others make this a very good viewing. Some action and violence, but nothing crazy, and a very fast and convenient ending on the FDR drive (I think). Check this out for Calvin and Lynch especially.
johnc2141 the baron is one of those 1970's action movies that tried to cash in on the bigger hits like shaft and superfly.Calvin Lockhart plays a struggling actor/producer who has to deal with mobsters led by Richard Lynch trying to pass as an Italian gangster.anyway the plot is generic the main characters brother has a dept to settle with the mobsters so the baron has to do what he could to settle the score.the late great Joan Blondell plays a very wealthy woman who seduces Lockhart's character.sort of like American gigolo on the side.all for money of course.Richard Lynch who plays the heavy real good,cant remember him playing a good guy in a movie except for the delta fox where hes sort of an anti hero.there's a lot of action and violence and a brief car chase,all in all the baron is pretty entertaining in a b movie kind of way.7 out of 10.
Wizard-8 This one's a real surprise. First of all, the movie takes itself far more seriously than other black-themed movies of the period. That's not to say there aren't any laughs, though they do come from a few unintentionally funny moments. The other way the movie goes wrong is in the climax, which is unbelievably flat and short. Otherwise, the movie is surprisingly solid. The whole movie-making portion of the movie touch on the true difficulties of making independent movies. (The movie-within-the-movie looks intriguing, and I would have loved to have seen it done feature length!) The characters are an interesting bunch as well. The "hero" of the movie isn't completely likeable, and his quest to achieve his goal regardless of the fact those near to him get hurt makes him a real atypical lead. Though the biggest kudos goes to Richard Lynch, who gives one of the best performances in his career as the mobster who pursues our hero and the guy who gave him money. He's also in the two best scenes in the movie (the piano-playing bit, the subsequent restaurant scene) - two *fantastic* scenes. The movie is worth renting (if you can find it) for those two scenes alone.
John Seal Calvin Lockhart is The Baron, a struggling African-American filmmaker trying to get his big break. He gets mixed up with some dirty money and ends up confronting the usual mafia guys trying to keep a brutha down. They're a particularly nasty lot in this one, especially the racist, misogynistic, and homophobic Joey, played here flamboyantly by exploitation regular Richard Lynch. The film is a reasonably enjoyable blend of action and social commentary, and features a terrific score by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Joan Blondell, Raymond St. Jacques, and Marlene Clark are all wasted or underutilised, but Lockhart is good (as usual), even when burdened with some truly horrible 70s fashions.