SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Scott LeBrun Marlo Monte portrays Charles Murray, an amiable dope pusher who is arrested by white detectives. Unfortunately for Charles, one of these white detectives is Harry Freeman (Ben Bigelow), a raging racist unable to satisfy his wife. What Harry does is that he attempts to castrate Charles, getting back at both the wife and blacks in general. Charles spends three years in the pen, renounces crime, and tries to go straight, although finding honest work is difficult. He shacks up with Carmen (Reatha Grey), a former hooker, and ultimately decides to get revenge on all the honkies who did him wrong: Freeman, Freeman's partner (Stan Kamber), the judge (Ed Sander), and the prosecutor (Stephen Schenck). This he does in an extremely memorable, "Holy *beep*, I can't believe I'm seeing this" manner.The big money shot occurs around the 88 minute mark, and while it may not catch you off guard if you know the big twist going in, it's STILL a priceless sight to behold. It's guaranteed to send viewers into gales of laughter.And yet, at the same time, this viewer doesn't know that this aspect of the story is meant to be taken all that literally. Our protagonist may well have become unhinged by his experiences. In effect, the debut feature for writer / producer / director / editor Jamaa Fanaka, who hit it big four years later with the first "Penitentiary" picture, is largely a traditional story of vengeance. But Fanaka makes it fresh by infusing it with subtext (namely, black male virility), and a portrait of black American life in Compton and Watts of the mid-70s.The filmmaking may not be terribly slick, and some of the performances may be amateurish, but the participants do get an A for effort. Monte and Grey have engaging personalities, Bigelow is an appropriately despicable p.o.s. antagonist, Jackie Ziegler is all kinds of sexy as Charles' ex-girlfriend Twyla (she performs a strip number), and Tiffany Peters is good as Freemans' defiant wife.Enhanced by some gloriously funky tunes, and William Andersons' sometimes seriously weird soundtrack, this is one blaxploitation oddity that definitely merits at least one viewing.Eight out of 10.

Petey Warsaw (FuriousQuik) Blaxploitation at it's finest. Marloe Monte convey's the despotism and decrepitude of south central L.A. to perfection, a visceral portrayal of what could be considered one of the most ignominious eras in contemporary American culture. The laconic dialogue, consisting in it's finest moments of archaic "jive talk", replete with the obligatory "mutha" every ten minutes, realistically portrays the culture and frustration of Charles (Monte) and his prostitute girlfriend as they struggle to ameliorate their lives in an atmosphere of ubiquitous oppression and exploitation by the omnipresent "MAN". A brilliant concept, brilliant execution, inspired acting...I cannot praise it enough. The sexual tension is as tangible as can be, and the action is incessantly non-stop!

MIDDLEMYATT Don't believe the hype! This film is boring and dull as dirt. I love films of this period/genre, but this one has no redeeming value. If you're simply waiting to see the infamous "prop" -- you're in for a disappointment: it appears (only once!) during the final five minutes of the film, and even then it's non-eventful and (excuse the pun) anti-climactic. The story is poorly conceived, written and executed, and overall the film brings nothing new or fresh to the table for this type of film. Trust me, you've seen it all before in much better films of the period. This dull and dated dud isn't worth your time -- avoid it at all costs! Check out the director's under-rated and almost ignored gem, "Black Sister's Revenge" instead -- it'll surprise you.

ebony1911 DVD release of the Original Blaxploitation Film, which I saw in the theater the day of its releas, is badly edited and cut. There are bleeps. Worse, several of the murders are excised. Xenon Productions can do better. In its original release as Welcome Home, Brother Charles this film was surely the most tasteless film ever made in the history of film-making-----the acme of the Black Phallic Worship begun by Kyle Onstott in his book, Mandingo and culminating in Scott Poulson-Bryant's recently released study, "Hung!" Since the Edits, the film renamed Soul Vengeance has been reduced to being only ONE of the most Tastelessfilms ever produced. Mr Fanaka ought to be ashamed of himself and demand that the original film be re-issued--UNCUT and UNDILUTED. Yours in Blaxploitation films, Ebony Ivory.