Black Samson Blu-ray Review: There’s a Riot Goin’ On

As the unelected ruler of a Los Angeles neighborhood, Samson (Rockne Tarkington) speaks softly and carries a big, big stick. He’s a righteous dude but makes a living running a topless go-go bar that is also home to an actual lion. When the white mafia makes a play for his territory, he’s forced into action, marshalling his neighborhood to thwart the interlopers.

As blaxploitation films go, this one is fairly dull until its eye-popping conclusion. Sure, the go-gos and mangy old lion serve their opening-scene purpose to hook viewers, but once the story and acting kick in, the wheels start to fall off. The requisite racial clashes and vice elements are there, but Tarkington isn’t a particularly charismatic lead. Although he’s tall and extra menacing with his ever-present huge wooden staff, his line delivery and expressions are mostly flat, leaving the rest of the cast to generate some acting heat. This mostly benefits the mafia lieutenant dispatched to personally deal with the hood situation, Johnny Napa (William Smith), a surprisingly imposing physical specimen with equally menacing stage presence.

The film gets a lift from its inspired score by influential New Orleans R&B star Allen Toussaint, a groovy contribution lacking only a hit single. It’s also a kick to see a live lion hanging out on set as actors casually interact with it, even though it’s so docile it seems more like a common house cat. But the real highlight of the film is the final act, punctuated by a wild, no-holds-barred car chase into the hood destroying many vehicles along the way. That bravura sequence leads directly into a massive ambush riot by the residents, with dozens of people raining down all manner of debris on the mobsters from multiple rooftops along a real city street and lots more brawling in the street, a chaotic mess so insanely destructive they’re probably still cleaning up. While most of the film is a yawner, the jaw-dropping ending nearly redeems the whole thing.

The film has been newly remastered for Blu-ray from 4K scans of the original camera negative. Minor incidences of debris indicate little restoration, but the colors appear to have been corrected to provide a more vivid spectrum than previously available. Sound is presented in a serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono configuration, mostly free of hiss. Aside from the original theatrical trailer, no bonus features are included.