Free ride to the afterlife
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Free ride to the afterlife |
| Original title | Black Belt Jones |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1974 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Clouse |
| script |
Alexandra Rose Oscar Williams Fred Weintraub |
| production |
Fred Weintraub Paul M. Heller |
| music | Luchi De Jesus |
| camera | Kent L. Wakeford |
| cut | Michael Kahn |
| occupation | |
| |
Free Ride into the Hereafter (original title Black Belt Jones ) is a " Blaxploitation " film directed by Robert Clouse from 1974. His film The Man with the Death Claw had been one of the biggest box office hits of the previous year, but Bruce Lee already didn't have that success experienced more. It was obvious that Clouse would now make another popular hero actor from "The Man with the Death Claw" the star of his next martial arts film. Since A Case for Cleopatra Jones by Jack Starrett had also been an action hit in 1973, it made sense to choose an artist who bore a certain resemblance to Tamara Dobson for the female lead . In Gloria Hendry they found a sporty actress who, thanks to her role in the James Bond film Live and Let Die, already had experience with action films. Robert Clouse staged a script with his own craftsmanship, which, as expected, gave karateka Jim Kelly every opportunity to extensively demonstrate his athletic abilities. The main actor does gymnastics through all the fight scenes with such casual superiority that the tension is kept within relatively narrow limits, because at no time can doubts arise as to who will win again.
action
The plot picks up on motifs that had been shown to appeal to the audience through previous Bruce Lee films. In Death Claw Strikes Again , Bruce Lee had beaten up Mafia collectors and in Bruce Lee - Death Greetings from Shanghai , he had turned the training room of a martial arts school into a real battleground. So it is understandable why in "Free Ride into the Hereafter" there are again debt collectors who mess with a martial arts master; for this they even come to a karate school, where they pick up painful karate lessons. As in the two films mentioned and numerous other relevant films, this then leads to an escalation with ever longer struggles.
effect
Neither this nor any of the roles that followed Jim Kelly managed to become as popular as Bruce Lee. The hoped-for breakthrough also failed to materialize for Gloria Hendry.
criticism
“American imitation of Hong Kong wave films. Technically more perfect, but of the same modesty and brutality as the role models. Rival gangsters (predominantly black skin color) engage in brutal fights over speculative profits and a karate school. "
Web links
- Free travel to the afterlife in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Free travel to the afterlife in the German dubbing index
- Free travel to the afterlife in the lexicon of international film
- Free travel to the afterlife at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Free travel to the afterlife. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .