If you saw this poster hanging in a theater lobby, wouldn't you make an effort to see this movie?

Damn right you would.

THREE THE HARD WAY brings together for the first time three of the biggest badasses in blaxploitation history: Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Jim Brown and Jim Kelly. Brown and Williamson had been successfully starring in black action films such as SLAUGHTER, HAMMER and BLACK CAESAR for a couple of years, although Brown had enjoyed a slight mainstream career in major studio films like THE DIRTY DOZEN and 100 RIFLES. Kelly had made a splash the year before in 1973 as Bruce Lee and John Saxon's co-star in ENTER THE DRAGON.

THREE THE HARD WAY is one of my favorite blaxploitation flicks. Despite its frequent padding, sloppy production values and confusing script, it offers up tons of action and a ridiculously campy premise that add up to a wild combination of sub-budget Bond film and Marvel superhero comic. A wealthy white supremacist named Mr. Feather (the always fey Jay Robinson) concocts a plan to exterminate America's black population by poisoning the water supply of several major cities with a deadly chemical that only affects African-Americans. Record producer Brown, PR man Williamson and karate teacher Kelly stumble onto Robinson's operation when Brown's girlfriend (Sheila Frazier) is kidnapped and attempt to destroy it. All three leads are given properly heroic introductions, then, after damaging Robinson's plot in a series of solo adventures, team up to destroy the villains compound in a colorful Bondian climax. Lots of stuntmen with machine guns and red berets are wiped out and many cars explode. The shootouts, martial-arts battles, and stunts (performed by Hal Needham's Stunts Unlimited) are top-notch (the body count must run into triple digits) and Robinson's performance is hilariously over-the-top. You'll also see some funky '70s threads, songs by The Impressions, a senseless part for Alex Rocco as a cop who doesn't do jack, and some very hateful villains.

There's also a bizarre scene where Williamson extracts information from one of Feather's henchmen by siccing a trio of foxy topless dominatrixes on him. Sweaty, sassy and adorned only in tight leather pants, these three malicious mamas (one is played by Irene Tsu, who's still working in television) are simultaneously sensual and scary.

Scripters Eric Bercovici and Jerry Ludwig wrote dozens of HAWAII FIVE-0 episodes and later reteamed with Brown, Williamson and Kelly for the 1975 western TAKE A HARD RIDE with Lee Van Cleef. Several years later, the Beatles of Blaxploitation got together for the only time, as Richard Roundtree (SHAFT) joined Brown, Kelly and The Hammer for ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO, which Williamson directed. It's not really very good, but how can you pass up a chance to see these guys working together?

It's very disheartening that this film is still only available as an ersatz PD-eyesore, almost always from a cut TV print. I tried to get it booked from copyright owners Warner Brothers to play as a midnight movie, but they only had one print and they determined it was not in playable condition.

I wish they would make more of their explotation titles available: between the WB, MGM, and AA titles they own, there's lots of great unsung '70's action in that stash.

There's a scene early in the film where a white cop tries to frame Jim Kelly and asks him to open his car for something. It's on a windy New York street and the wind blows the cop's hat off and no one bats an eye. I know it's a low-budget film, but excuse me, you can't do a retake when a character's hat flies off? That really bothered me when I saw it when it first came out and I've never tried to revisit it, although the totally gratuitous dominatrix scene Marty describes might be worth seeing again. Especially now that I know that was Irene Tsu. She had quite a career, appearing in Elvis musicals and John Wayne movies and the like and then turning up years later in the great Hong Kong drama, COMRADES, ALMOST A LOVE STORY (1996) as Leon Lai's aunt, who has a shrine in her apartment to Hollywood star William Holden, whom the character had dated when he'd come to HK 30 years earlier (the film takes place in the 1980s) to make LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING.

But THREE THE HARD WAY was a big hit in my neighborhood when it came out.

THREE THE HARD WAY was a bit too confusing for my taste. I also recall an endless night time operation that bored me to tears. I would have shut it off it weren't for the presence of Jeannie Bell, whom I'm currently researching, cataloging all of her screen appearances. Here's a run-down of her brief involvement in the film:

While investigating a lead in Detroit, Jagger (Richard Roundtree) stops off to see an old bed buddy. Referred to only as “mama” by Roundtree, Jeannie is listed as “Polly” in the closing credits. She has a very small roll limited to a short meeting with Roundtree followed by some light bedroom kissing while completely concealed by the bed's sheets.

By the way if anyone knows where I can get a hold of her "Jet Magazine" interview, please contact me. I will forever be in your debt.

Saw this film at a neighborhood theatre in Laurelton, Queens, New York City, in the year of 1974, I believe. Once again, I was a six year old in the company of his older cousins. Nevertheless, the three things that stood out in my mind were: The cool title song, lots of night-time explosions, and the motorcycle women interrogating that guy in the room wearing nothing above the waist. Did I mention they were, indeed, quite sweaty? From that point on I just wanted to see those three actresses in their own film, and I also wanted to know exactly what they did to the guy in that room. Those were the days, man.

No, but I did! I like to imagine a CHARLIE'S ANGELS that should have been, with those three topless babes tooling around L.A. on their red, white and blue Kawasakis.

No, but I did! I like to imagine a CHARLIE'S ANGELS that should have been, with those three topless babes tooling around L.A. on their red, white and blue Kawasakis.