Black Gunn & The Take is finally getting a proper Blu-ray release. People often forget about the deep reach Columbia Pictures’ Blaxploitation movies. A lot of the reasons behind it is that they didn’t get a wide release similar to the AIP films. Also, they barely functioned under the rules of Blaxploitation. By utilizing Jim Brown and Billy Dee Williams, Columbia Pictures was still playing it safe. These were up-and-coming actors that proved their mettle on other studios’ dime.
For those younglings that haven’t seen these movies before, I’ll break them down. The Take is about Billy Dee Williams fighting corruption and a mafioso style Frankie Avalon. When push comes to shove, they somehow manage to get Boss Hogg involved. Black Gunn is Jim Brown vs. Martin Landau. Somehow, the film lasted more than 5 minutes. It was a huge event film in the African American theater circuit.
Don’t believe me? Ask your elderly retired neighbor. Jim Brown smacking around Martin Landau was the ghetto version of Endgame back in 1972. What I want to know is who at Mill Creek is reading my mind. I don’t care if you’re putting out random SONY sitcoms to DVD for the 8th time. Do more things like this and the Sidaris films. Cult movie fans appreciate the effort.