“Three the Hard Way” (1974) starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly / Z-View

Three the Hard Way (1974)

Director:  Gordon Parks Jr.

Screenplay: Eric Bercovici, Jerrold L. Ludwig

Stars: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly, Sheila Frazier, Jay Robinson, Richard Angarola, Marian Collier,
Alex Rocco, Corbin Bernsen and Howard Platt.

Tagline: Action explodes all over the place when the big three join forces to save their race!

The Plot…

When Jimmy Lait’s (Brown) friend unexpectedly shows up with a gunshot wound, Lait gets him to a hospital.  Almost delirious and dying, Lait’s friend says “they’re going to kill us all… just us”.  Later that night, Lait’s friend is executed.

Lait does some digging and learns that a white supremist group plans to poison the water supply of Detroit, Washington, D.C. and LA.  The poison is fatal only to African Americans.  Lait recruits two of his friends, Jagger Daniels (Williamson) and Mister Keyes (Kelly) to help him take down the Neo-Nazis before they can wipe out thousands.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When I was in ninth grade my girlfriend and I went to see Three the Hard Way.  It was playing as part of a double feature with Return of the Dragon.  When my girlfriend (now my wife) realized the plot of Three the Hard Way, she whispered, “We’re the only white people in here.”  I said, “We’ll be alright.”  And of course we were.  I liked Three the Hard Way a lot better seeing it in a theater in the ninth grade.

Three the Hard Way features Corbin Bernsen’s first credited feature film role.  Corbin’s father was co-producer of the film.

If you’re a fan of kung fu and blaxploitation movies, you should enjoy Three the Hard Way.

Three the Hard Way (1974) rates 2 of 5 stars