cult film freak: JIM KELLY IN AL ADAMSON'S SPY BLAXPLOITATION 'BLACK SAMURAI'

Jim Kelly and Chia Essie Lin in Al Adamson's BLACK SAMURAI Year: 1976 Rating: ****

After Jim Kelly's Agent Robert Sand alias BLACK SAMURAI visits the Satanic high priest villain's dark mansion lair, which includes girls dancing, a trio of deadly henchman, a sexy black witch, a snake-pit dungeon and an overseeing pet vulture, he winds up... following a car chase... rocketing up on a jet-pack, landing and battling a midget in the forest — only to wind up right back at that central fortress...

Making what's exploitation director Al Adamson's most satisfying project (based on a book series by Marc Olden) in what's a hybrid of James Bond and of course blaxploitation, at this point on its last legs...

From BLACK SAMURAI

But don't tell that to ENTER THE DRAGON legend Jim Kelly (not so coincidentally working for an agency called D.R.A.G.O.N), playing it equally cool and cocky... yet mostly during fight sequences, which are non-stop but with a reasonable explanation to get from one step to another — all while attempting to save a kidnapped Asian girl...

After a while, with so much furiously-frantic, genre-bending action, the plot doesn't really matter since BLACK SAMURAI, the film and the person, is too busy in what's basically an all-out karate showcase for Kelly, who hasn't had such a great time since DRAGON — yet it's completely his ride.