Slaughter (film)
Encyclopedia
Slaughter is a 1972 Blaxploitation
film which was released during the early 1970s Blaxploitation
film era. It was directed by Jack Starrett
and is stars Jim Brown
as an African American Vietnam Veteran and former Green Beret
captain who is referred to only by his last name Slaughter. He seeks revenge for the murder of his parents by the mafia, which his father had ties to. This film was followed by a sequel the following year, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
(1973).
Captain, Slaughter (Jim Brown
). The film begins with a nicely-dressed African American couple walking down a city street. The couple climbs into their parked Ford Galaxy vehicle. They sit in their car and after turning the ignition on, the car explodes and in effect kills both the man and woman. In the latter parts of the film the viewer soon discovers that the man and woman were the parents of Slaughter.
Slaughter becomes obsessed with avenging the murdering of his loved ones. He learns that it was a Mafia Bomb Blast (i.e. Cleveland Mob) and he is on a mission to find the man responsible for this bomb blast. He tracks the presumed killers to an air field and as they try to escape he rams their private plane with his vehicle. Amidst the rubble and their now exploded plane Slaughter shoots at the mobsters as they attempt to flee. Of the three criminals that flee he shoots and kills one, wounds another man, and the third man escapes. Upon the arrival of the police they arrest Slaughter and attempt to apprehend him. The police were prepared to charge him with first degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. However, after negotiating with U.S. Federal Agent, A.W. Price, Slaughter agrees to hunt down and kill the final escaped criminal on behalf of the government of the United States of America. In return, the Federal Government will get any/all of the charges against him dropped. Easily coerced into this position Slaughter agrees to partake in his vigilante justice. He is portrayed somewhat as a Hero to end the injustices caused by the Mob. To complete his part of the bargain, Slaughter must travel to an unspecific location in Mexico to hunt and kill the final man that escaped.
After arriving to Mexico he meets up with the American Law enforcement officials. They had a safe house in South America from which they were monitoring the business of local crime bosses. The main criminals were crime mob bosses Mario Felice and Dominic Hoff, who have seemed to have worked up to their positions within the Mob. Even though Slaughter acted as a one man army throughout the majority of the movie he was, at times, assisted by Harry. Harry was portrayed as a “rather socially awkward and romantically unsuccessful man”www.allmovie.com. Harry quickly takes a liking to Slaughters rough, stern, and confrontational ‘no shenanigans’ attitude. Slaughter was a man who was on a mission and Harry not only understood that but also respected it and quickly acted as his sidekick. Together the two created an alliance to confront Dominic Hoff and Mario Felice. However, the crime bosses had internal conflict struggles of their own. “You’re beautiful Mario, but you are slow. I run this operation and you know it.” (Slaughter,1972) Hoff attempts to take over Mario Felice. In addition, Slaughter is after them as well which leads to many ensuing gun battles, fights and car chases. There were many times in which Slaughter found himself in high speed pursuits and fights. At one point Ann- played by beautiful *Stella Stevens
- was Hoff’s mistress and was sent out to seduce the mighty unstoppable Slaughter. Her efforts to seduce him served to no avail. Hoff only gets enraged with anger and jealousy and begins to beat Ann out of hate and distaste. He is ludicrous. In essence, the viewer begins to see the internal break down of the mob bosses. Not even a sexy seductress could impede Slaughter. Hoff’s jealousy of Ann’s supposed love for Slaughter accelerates the plot. Slaughter intuitively determined that Hoff was responsible for the Mafia Blast on his parents. Which proved true as Hoff was the older of the two mob bosses and claimed that he himself was the one that called the shots. Slaughter was a furious bull and went on a high speed pursuit to capture and kill Hoff. They were driving recklessly along the dirt roads in Mexico and Slaughter ran Hoff off the road and overturns his car after it rolls off the ravine. Slaughter kills Hoff in his overturned car and incinerates him alive. It was very vicious and justice had been served in a rather unjust way. Nonetheless Slaughter avenged the death of his parents and had the charges dropped.http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/soulcinema1.html
films during this era. It was directed by Jack Starrett
. Writers include Don Williams
and Mark Hanna
. Produced by Monroe Sachson. The filming of the movie was in Mexico City
, Districto Federal Mexico under the American International Pictures
production company. Its release date in the United States of America was August 16, 1972 in New York City, New York (www.Hollywood.com). “ In a May 2, 1972 interview with Hollywood Reporter, producer Monroe Sachson noted that the film's locale had to be changed from Mexico to a non-specified country at the request of the Mexican censorship board, even though the film had been partially financed by Estudios Churubusco. Sachson complained that the censorship board was 'totally against any reference to their country if it shows it in any bad light.' The article reported that Churubusco provided one third of the film's $850,000 budget, the rest of which came from Sachson's production company, JayJen II, AIP and Slaughter 1 Limited Partnership.” http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=18174&category=Notes
's downright awesome theme song, Slaughter delivers solid blaxploitation
goods.” http://www.blaxploitationpride.org/2009/07/slaughter-1972.html?zx=7aa21217e3039818
“This release is a bucket of dumb fun that benefits hugely from Brown’s screen presence and by Starrett’s energetic direction.” Review made in May 2006 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2006/05/30/slaughter-1972/
“Slaughter features dated set-ups, stiff acting and horrifying dialogue. But it does have Jim Brown, who is on bada**. Brown has a lot of charisma and he is always interesting to watch. This is a guy who in the movie portrays the proper stare, walk, and sexual bravura for his role. In addition to the fact that this is a non-stop action flick , it Slaughter will please even the hardest fan of the exploitation films.”http://www.thedigitalbits.com.
“Featuring a dynamic theme song by Billy Preston, Slaughter was a major box-office hit in 1972 and one of the most popular films of Jim Brown's screen career; it spawned a sequel, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off, which appeared in 1973.” http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/movies/synopsis/0,,1864925,00.html.
“Just about every tough black actor was given the opportunity to create his own blaxploitation hero in the early 70s. Ron O'Neal
had Superfly, Richard Roundtree
had Shaft
, Fred Williamson
had Hammer
and Jim Brown
had Slaughter. Although the football player turned thespian had a handful of film roles going back to the mid-60s, Slaughter represents his first real starring vehicle. While not critical favorites by any means, Slaughter and its sequel Slaughter’s Big Rip-off are action-jammed fun in the typical AIP (American International Pictures) tradition.” http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/n-s/slaughter.htm
. The theme song associated with the film gives Slaughter its own unique sound that stuck around and made a significant presence in the Blaxploitation
film genre. Ric Marlow
also made contributions as a songwriter. Unfortunately no soundtrack LP was ever issued.
Subtitles for the DVD are available in Spanish and French. However, the DVD was only distributed in the U.S. and Canada by studio MGM (video and DVD). It has a runtime of approximately 90 minutes.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069279/releaseinfo
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film which was released during the early 1970s Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film era. It was directed by Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett was an American actor and film director. He is credited as Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr. in some of his films...
and is stars Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
as an African American Vietnam Veteran and former Green Beret
Green beret
The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...
captain who is referred to only by his last name Slaughter. He seeks revenge for the murder of his parents by the mafia, which his father had ties to. This film was followed by a sequel the following year, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
Slaughter’s Big Rip-off is a 1973 Blaxploitation film which was released during the 1970s Blaxploitation film era. It is directed by Gordon Douglass...
(1973).
Plot summary
The plot centralizes around ex-Vietnam veteran and ex-Green BeretGreen beret
The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...
Captain, Slaughter (Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
). The film begins with a nicely-dressed African American couple walking down a city street. The couple climbs into their parked Ford Galaxy vehicle. They sit in their car and after turning the ignition on, the car explodes and in effect kills both the man and woman. In the latter parts of the film the viewer soon discovers that the man and woman were the parents of Slaughter.
Slaughter becomes obsessed with avenging the murdering of his loved ones. He learns that it was a Mafia Bomb Blast (i.e. Cleveland Mob) and he is on a mission to find the man responsible for this bomb blast. He tracks the presumed killers to an air field and as they try to escape he rams their private plane with his vehicle. Amidst the rubble and their now exploded plane Slaughter shoots at the mobsters as they attempt to flee. Of the three criminals that flee he shoots and kills one, wounds another man, and the third man escapes. Upon the arrival of the police they arrest Slaughter and attempt to apprehend him. The police were prepared to charge him with first degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. However, after negotiating with U.S. Federal Agent, A.W. Price, Slaughter agrees to hunt down and kill the final escaped criminal on behalf of the government of the United States of America. In return, the Federal Government will get any/all of the charges against him dropped. Easily coerced into this position Slaughter agrees to partake in his vigilante justice. He is portrayed somewhat as a Hero to end the injustices caused by the Mob. To complete his part of the bargain, Slaughter must travel to an unspecific location in Mexico to hunt and kill the final man that escaped.
After arriving to Mexico he meets up with the American Law enforcement officials. They had a safe house in South America from which they were monitoring the business of local crime bosses. The main criminals were crime mob bosses Mario Felice and Dominic Hoff, who have seemed to have worked up to their positions within the Mob. Even though Slaughter acted as a one man army throughout the majority of the movie he was, at times, assisted by Harry. Harry was portrayed as a “rather socially awkward and romantically unsuccessful man”www.allmovie.com. Harry quickly takes a liking to Slaughters rough, stern, and confrontational ‘no shenanigans’ attitude. Slaughter was a man who was on a mission and Harry not only understood that but also respected it and quickly acted as his sidekick. Together the two created an alliance to confront Dominic Hoff and Mario Felice. However, the crime bosses had internal conflict struggles of their own. “You’re beautiful Mario, but you are slow. I run this operation and you know it.” (Slaughter,1972) Hoff attempts to take over Mario Felice. In addition, Slaughter is after them as well which leads to many ensuing gun battles, fights and car chases. There were many times in which Slaughter found himself in high speed pursuits and fights. At one point Ann- played by beautiful *Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
- was Hoff’s mistress and was sent out to seduce the mighty unstoppable Slaughter. Her efforts to seduce him served to no avail. Hoff only gets enraged with anger and jealousy and begins to beat Ann out of hate and distaste. He is ludicrous. In essence, the viewer begins to see the internal break down of the mob bosses. Not even a sexy seductress could impede Slaughter. Hoff’s jealousy of Ann’s supposed love for Slaughter accelerates the plot. Slaughter intuitively determined that Hoff was responsible for the Mafia Blast on his parents. Which proved true as Hoff was the older of the two mob bosses and claimed that he himself was the one that called the shots. Slaughter was a furious bull and went on a high speed pursuit to capture and kill Hoff. They were driving recklessly along the dirt roads in Mexico and Slaughter ran Hoff off the road and overturns his car after it rolls off the ravine. Slaughter kills Hoff in his overturned car and incinerates him alive. It was very vicious and justice had been served in a rather unjust way. Nonetheless Slaughter avenged the death of his parents and had the charges dropped.http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/soulcinema1.html
Cast
- Jim BrownJim BrownJames Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
as Slaughter - Stella StevensStella StevensStella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
as Ann - Rip TornRip TornElmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
as Dominic Hoff - Cameron MitchellCameron Mitchell (actor)Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television and Broadway actor with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City.-Early life and career:Born Cameron MacDowell Mitzel in...
as A.W. Price - Dan GordonDan GordonDan Gordon was an American storyboard artist and film director, best known for his work at both Famous Studios and Hanna-Barbera Productions. Gordon was one of Famous' first directors, and he wrote and directed several Popeye the Sailor and Superman cartoons...
as Harry - Marlene Clark as Kim
- Robert PhillipsRobert PhillipsRobert Phillips is an American classical guitarist.-Early life:The son of two optometrists, Dr. Robert Michael Phillips and Dr. Irma Phillips née Pedrogo who resided, although only briefly, in Valley Stream, New York...
as Frank - Marion Brash as Jenny
- Norman Alre as Mario Felice
- Eddie Lo Russo as Little Al
- Buddie Gordon as Eddie
- Lance Winston as Intern
- Juan Jose Laboriel as Uncle
- Francisca Lopez de Laboriel as Aunt
Filming
Slaughter was generally a low-budget production film, which was typical of most blaxploitationBlaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films during this era. It was directed by Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett
Jack Starrett was an American actor and film director. He is credited as Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr. in some of his films...
. Writers include Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
and Mark Hanna
Mark Hanna
Marcus Alonzo "Mark" Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio and the friend and political manager of President William McKinley...
. Produced by Monroe Sachson. The filming of the movie was in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Districto Federal Mexico under the American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
production company. Its release date in the United States of America was August 16, 1972 in New York City, New York (www.Hollywood.com). “ In a May 2, 1972 interview with Hollywood Reporter, producer Monroe Sachson noted that the film's locale had to be changed from Mexico to a non-specified country at the request of the Mexican censorship board, even though the film had been partially financed by Estudios Churubusco. Sachson complained that the censorship board was 'totally against any reference to their country if it shows it in any bad light.' The article reported that Churubusco provided one third of the film's $850,000 budget, the rest of which came from Sachson's production company, JayJen II, AIP and Slaughter 1 Limited Partnership.” http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=18174&category=Notes
Critics Review
“Slaughter is a decent mix of sex and violence, with particularly well-done action scenes. It also has just the right amount of comedy. Highlighted by a funky music score and Billy PrestonBilly Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
's downright awesome theme song, Slaughter delivers solid blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
goods.” http://www.blaxploitationpride.org/2009/07/slaughter-1972.html?zx=7aa21217e3039818
“This release is a bucket of dumb fun that benefits hugely from Brown’s screen presence and by Starrett’s energetic direction.” Review made in May 2006 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2006/05/30/slaughter-1972/
“Slaughter features dated set-ups, stiff acting and horrifying dialogue. But it does have Jim Brown, who is on bada**. Brown has a lot of charisma and he is always interesting to watch. This is a guy who in the movie portrays the proper stare, walk, and sexual bravura for his role. In addition to the fact that this is a non-stop action flick , it Slaughter will please even the hardest fan of the exploitation films.”http://www.thedigitalbits.com.
“Featuring a dynamic theme song by Billy Preston, Slaughter was a major box-office hit in 1972 and one of the most popular films of Jim Brown's screen career; it spawned a sequel, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off, which appeared in 1973.” http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/movies/synopsis/0,,1864925,00.html.
“Just about every tough black actor was given the opportunity to create his own blaxploitation hero in the early 70s. Ron O'Neal
Ron O'Neal
Ron O'Neal was an American actor, director and screenwriter...
had Superfly, Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
had Shaft
Shaft (1971 film)
Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
, Fred Williamson
Fred Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...
had Hammer
Hammer (film)
Hammer is a 1972 blaxploitation film directed by Bruce Clark. The film was released following the successes of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and Shaft, notable 1971 films that popularized black cinema....
and Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
had Slaughter. Although the football player turned thespian had a handful of film roles going back to the mid-60s, Slaughter represents his first real starring vehicle. While not critical favorites by any means, Slaughter and its sequel Slaughter’s Big Rip-off are action-jammed fun in the typical AIP (American International Pictures) tradition.” http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/n-s/slaughter.htm
Music
The music was principally done by Luchi De Jesus-as musical director/supervisor- for the original film. Manuel Topete was the sound designer. In addition, the famous theme song for Slaughter was by Billy PrestonBilly Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
. The theme song associated with the film gives Slaughter its own unique sound that stuck around and made a significant presence in the Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film genre. Ric Marlow
Ric Marlow
Ric Marlow is an American songwriter and actor, best known for co-writing with Bobby Scott the song "A Taste of Honey" which won a Grammy in 1962. The song has been recorded by many artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, and The Beatles...
also made contributions as a songwriter. Unfortunately no soundtrack LP was ever issued.
DVD
January 9th 2001 as an entertaining 70’s action movie.Subtitles for the DVD are available in Spanish and French. However, the DVD was only distributed in the U.S. and Canada by studio MGM (video and DVD). It has a runtime of approximately 90 minutes.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069279/releaseinfo