| "My jurisdiction extends from Ankara, Turkey to Watts Tower, baby." |
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| written by Lastcrackerjack |
April 22, 2006 - 9:26 AM PDT |
Directed by Jack Starrett, who made "Slaughter" with Jim Brown before this and "Ride With The Devil" immediately after, and written by Max Julien and Sheldon Keller, "Cleopatra Jones" is colorful, sometimes fun and completely stupid.
The title song by Joe Simon and Millie Jackson kicks things off right as we are introduced to our foxy heroine in Turkey. There's also a car chase between Cleo's customized black and silver Corvette Stingray and a Ford Mustang that, while chewing up the same L.A. River flattop used for many a chase since, is absolutely bad ass and the highlight of the movie.
The whole affair is PG and forgoes the gratuitous sex, violence and mayhem of the "Blaxploitation" genre, which this film sets itself a part from. It's a companion to Lynda Carter's "Wonder Woman" series more than anything else. A 007 title sequence would probably cover this film's entire budget, but it's well produced and done with style.
Julien tried to set this film up with Samuel Arkoff's American International Pictures, but when the deal fell through and he instead went to Warner Bros., AIP rushed ahead with their own "Cleopatra Jones" called "Coffy". The cheap rip-off was much, much better than the classy studio picture. Dobson - 6'2" without the afro - is of great physique, but is no actress and couldn't pick Pam Grier up at the airport when it comes to this type of movie.
A sequel - "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold" - followed in 1975. The idea of a soul sista super agent globetrotting from one comic book adventure to the next had its appeal, but with these actors and scenarists, they wouldn't get very far.
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