THE BLACK SIX 1974, starring: Gene Washington, Carl Eller, Lem Barney, Mercury Morris, Willie Lanier, Mean Joe Greene
On paper, it must’ve seemed like a great idea—take two popular film genres (blaxploitation and outlaw biker), mash ‘em together, and then throw in a cast of six NFL players, all ready to kick whitey’s ass. There’s no way this combination of elements, seemingly blessed by the gods of exploitation cinema, could not have seemed like a sure hit. And to be clear, the definition of “sure hit” must be contextualized within the framework of an era in American film when low budget, independently produced features often were financed from questionable revenue sources often looking to launder money from ill-gotten gains. This is not to say that THE BLACK SIX was financed with money from tax-shelter-seeking investors or Mafia dons looking to wash their dirty money, because that’s not the case. No, THE BLACK SIX is merely one of the most potentially brilliant blaxploitation films of all time, produced under a series of quality-limiting factors, which sadly resulted in the film’s inability to become the work of genius it could have been.
THE BLACK SIX starts with the violent murder of high school student Eddie Daniels (Robert Howard), who is killed by a gang of redneck bikers that aren’t too happy that a young black man is consorting with a white girl. Word of Eddie’s death reaches his older brother Bubba (Gene Washington), a disillusion veteran of the war in Vietnam, who has not been home in years. Bubba has taken to a nomadic life of tooling around the country with five of his fellow vets, who round out this war-weary motorcycle gang. Bubba and his crew have seen enough violence in the ‘Nam, and they would love to leave the killing behind them. Despite the threat of the racist bikers that killed Eddie, however, Bubba and his friends— Junior Bro Williams (Carl Eller), Frenchy LaBoise (Lem Barney), Bookie Garrett (Mercury Morris), Tommy Bunka (Willie Lanier), and Kevin Washington (“Mean” Joe Greene)—decide something must be done. The murder of Eddie demands either justice or revenge—or both—and the Black Six are just the guys to dispense fistfuls of each.
The brainchild of writer-producer-director Matt Cimber, THE BLACK SIX is a shining example of everything that is both right and wrong about the blaxploitation films of the 1970s. It is an earnest attempt at making an exploitation movie with seems to have something to say—though it’s not clear exactly what that something is. With Cimber’s story, inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” and a screenplay by Mikel Angel (a.k.a. George Theakos), THE BLACK SIX holds the promise of weighing in on some heavy subjects. First, there’s the murder of Eddie. To be clear, the killing of Eddie is a modern-day lynching. He is murdered because he did not “know” his place, recalling the real life slayings of countless other African Americans, whose crimes were often nothing more than looking at a white woman. Then there is the commentary on returning war vets incapable of fitting back in with mainstream American society. And finally, there is the message of justice for the black man in America. All of this is hinted at, but never fully explored, making it unclear if THE BLACK SIX is actually trying to say something. If there is in fact a message, it is largely lost under the crushing weight of a poorly written script, a cast of non-actors, and half-ass production values, all brought together on a shoe-string budget. But as any true fan of exploitation films can tell you, the shortcomings and ineptitudes that don’t kill certain movies, only makes them better. Such is the case of THE BLACK SIX.
With two of the biggest blaxploitation stars being Jim Brown and Fred Williamson—both ex-NFL players—it must have seemed like a stroke of pure genius to cast a film with six NFL players. Unfortunately, even the combined strength of the Washington, Eller, Barney, Morris, Lanier, and Greene is barely enough to carry THE BLACK SIX. This is not meant to dismiss the acting of the main cast, because it isn’t really their fault. Though Brown and Williamson were the biggest stars to come out of professional football, they weren’t alone. Bernie Casey (HIT MAN) was a professional ball player, as was Tony King (GORDON’S WAR), and Carl Weathers, who would go on to stardom in ROCKY, after a string of supporting roles in movies like FRIDAY FOSTER and BUCKTOWN. There was also Tim Brown and Roy Jefferson, who starred in lesser-known blaxploitation entries BLACK HEAT and BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH, respectively. It is clear that the biggest problem with THE BLACK SIX is not the limited acting chops of the cast, but the writing, direction, and overall production of the film.
With the deck stacked against THE BLACK SIX, it is any wonder that the film works as well as it does. And to be perfectly honest, there are moments to be found in this film that could almost be confused with cinematic brilliance. In one standout scene, the black bikers try to order ham sandwiches and Pabst Blue Ribbon from a bar, only to be denied service by the racist owner. Left with little choice, the gang does what anyone would do in this situation—they literally tear the place down, while the owner screams, “Help, help, the niggers are tearin’ down my bar!”
It’s moments like this—crafted with all the quality and attention to acting and direction found in porn from the same era—that gives THE BLACK SIX its oddball charm. And if the film simply had more scenes like this one, it would be a priceless gem. That’s not to say this is a good film, because it really isn’t, although it is better than so many other genre entries. It could be argued that whatever redeeming qualities there are to be found in THE BLACK SIX comes from it the fact that when it comes to blaxploitation flicks the bar is set ridiculously low. For all of its shortcomings, THE BLACK SIX will never be as bad as SPEEDING UP TIME, or THE GUY FROM HARLEM. Truth be told, however, it’s not the comparison to the gutbucket quality of lesser Z-grade black action films that gives THE BLACK SIX whatever quirky charm it has. No, for lack of any other better description, this is a film that simply refuses to be as terrible as it should be. Other films, like BLACKENSTEIN and VELVET SMOOTH, give up the ghost without even trying—as if merely aspiring to be entertaining is too much work. Despite everything working against it, however, THE BLACK SIX never stops trying to entertain, even when it is terrible.