Willie Dynamite
Moderator: yoloswegmaster
- Ribs
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm
Willie Dynamite
HE’S TIGHT, TOGETHER, AND MEAN.
“The hands-down winner of the all-out best blaxploitation movie of the seventies,” declares author and artist Darius James in That’s Blaxploitation! Willie Dynamite may not be as well-known as John Shaft, Sweet Sweetback or Super Fly’s Youngblood Priest, but he certainly deserves to be.
Who is Willie Dynamite? He’s the flashiest pimp in New York – he drives a personalised purple-and-gold Cadillac and wears some of the most eye-catching outfits ever seen on a cinema screen. He wants to be number one, but with the police, the D.A., fellow pimps and a tough-talking social worker on his tail, can a man as arrogant and amoral as Willie D avoid a downfall?
Willie Dynamite competes with the best of blaxploitation on all levels. Roscoe Orman dominates with his central performance – a star turn that’s the equal of Richard Roundtree in Shaft or Pam Grier in Coffy. Multi-award-winning director Gilbert Moses balances action and social commentary as deftly as Gordon Parks, Jr. did with Super Fly. And the score by J.J. Johnson featuring Motown legend Martha Reeves is as catchy as anything composed by Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield or James Brown.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM
Original 1.0 mono audio (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Kiss My Baad Asss, a guide to blaxploitation hosted by actor and musician Ice-T, and featuring interviews with Richard Roundtree, Melvin van Peebles, Isaac Hayes and others
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Cullen Gallagher
- Cronenfly
- Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:04 pm
Re: Willie Dynamite
Looks to be a Universal license. Wish they had this for the US as well, though I suppose Shout may well have it. Arrow looks to have MGM open for American releases, but not, it would seem, Universal, at least not yet.
Whoops, just looked at the specs, I guess this is MGM in the UK and Universal in the US?
Whoops, just looked at the specs, I guess this is MGM in the UK and Universal in the US?
- ando
- Bringing Out El Duende
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:53 pm
- Location: New York City
Re: Willie Dynamite
The movie is fun but I don't recall a single tune from the score. Hmmmm.Ribs wrote:And the score by J.J. Johnson featuring Motown legend Martha Reeves is as catchy as anything composed by Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield or James Brown.
- Morbii
- Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:38 am
Re: Willie Dynamite
That's maybe the first Arrow cover that I've seen that I don't really care for.
Not that it doesn't fit the film (I haven't seen it), but it's a bit much.
Not that it doesn't fit the film (I haven't seen it), but it's a bit much.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: Willie Dynamite
I love Sean Phillips body of work, and this one isn't an exception.
- Roger Ryan
- Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
- Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city
Re: Willie Dynamite
His soul has been psychedelicized.