***SPOILERS*** Typical 1970's black-exploitation movie with big macho bad a** Jim Brown, as the genteel and soft spoken nightclub owner Mr Gunn,taking on the West Coast Mafia with a little help from his friends. The friends that help Gunn in wiping out the mob are the black militant members of BAG, The Black Action Group, a Black Panther like movement. Made up of mostly Vietnam Vets BAG is out to free the "Hood"-or East L.A-from illegal drugs and and the violence that result from them by using a little violence themselves.
Gunn at first isn't at all interested in any violence in freeing his people from the mob that controls East L.A until his hot headed brother Scottie, Herb Jefferson Jr, gets murdered and left at his door-step. You see Scottie and members of the BAG had ripped off a mob controlled bookie joint and not only taken off with the days profits but the pay-off books! Those books can implicate everyone in the city from the major and police commissioner on down in being on the take to the Mafia.
You get the usual heroics that you would expect from a Jim Brown movie with Jim, as Mr. Gunn, going on a revenge trip in finding who was behind Scottie's murder and making him pay for it. It isn't an easy task for Mr. Gunn since when we first saw him he was a peaceful and law abiding businessman where violence was totally alien to him. By the time the movie ended Mr. Gunn had gunned down some two dozen people stolen a number of cars blown up half of the L.A dock and, after illegally breaking and entering into his swank apartment, worked over Ray Kriley, Bruce Glover, the mobster who did in Scottie. With all this law breaking all the LAPD had on Gunn was a reckless driving charge, with a stolen car no less, that was dropped making it possible for him to keep his liqueur license as well as control of his popular L.A nightclub "The Gunn's Cub"!
Besides Jim Brown the major reason for watching "Black Gunn'" is actor Martin Landau as Mafia Boss Rus Capelli. Overacting like crazy Landau as Russ Capelli, who uses the cover of a TV used car salesman, came across more like a corny stand-up comic then a Mafia Chieftain.***SPOILERS*** In the final showdown at the L.A dock Capilli has Mr. Gunn captured by his hoods but foolishly, with his obnoxious overacting, lets him get away. It's then that a machine-gun toting Gunn, together with members of the BAG, wipes out Capilli's whole organization. As for Carpelli he-or Martin Landau's stunt double-ends up immolating himself because he forgot, when a burning barrel of gasoline came barreling down on him, to duck!
Gunn at first isn't at all interested in any violence in freeing his people from the mob that controls East L.A until his hot headed brother Scottie, Herb Jefferson Jr, gets murdered and left at his door-step. You see Scottie and members of the BAG had ripped off a mob controlled bookie joint and not only taken off with the days profits but the pay-off books! Those books can implicate everyone in the city from the major and police commissioner on down in being on the take to the Mafia.
You get the usual heroics that you would expect from a Jim Brown movie with Jim, as Mr. Gunn, going on a revenge trip in finding who was behind Scottie's murder and making him pay for it. It isn't an easy task for Mr. Gunn since when we first saw him he was a peaceful and law abiding businessman where violence was totally alien to him. By the time the movie ended Mr. Gunn had gunned down some two dozen people stolen a number of cars blown up half of the L.A dock and, after illegally breaking and entering into his swank apartment, worked over Ray Kriley, Bruce Glover, the mobster who did in Scottie. With all this law breaking all the LAPD had on Gunn was a reckless driving charge, with a stolen car no less, that was dropped making it possible for him to keep his liqueur license as well as control of his popular L.A nightclub "The Gunn's Cub"!
Besides Jim Brown the major reason for watching "Black Gunn'" is actor Martin Landau as Mafia Boss Rus Capelli. Overacting like crazy Landau as Russ Capelli, who uses the cover of a TV used car salesman, came across more like a corny stand-up comic then a Mafia Chieftain.***SPOILERS*** In the final showdown at the L.A dock Capilli has Mr. Gunn captured by his hoods but foolishly, with his obnoxious overacting, lets him get away. It's then that a machine-gun toting Gunn, together with members of the BAG, wipes out Capilli's whole organization. As for Carpelli he-or Martin Landau's stunt double-ends up immolating himself because he forgot, when a burning barrel of gasoline came barreling down on him, to duck!