User reviews

A funky 1970's blacksploitation film with Charles Robinson, probably best known for playing the fileperson Mac on "Night Court". Robinson plays an officer in the "People's Army", a group of blacks given a grant by the white community to help the disadvantaged in a section of L.A. Following the assault of a nurse working at the Army hospital and some violence in local African-American-owned businesses, Robinson asks the general of the People's Army (Rod Perry) for a few men to embrace violence against a white crime syndicate operating in the city. He then takes the group in his own direction, dressing them up in Nazi uniforms and training them in all levels of combat, finally running the syndicate out of town. However, the group becomes a bit mad with power and ends up simply taking over the duties of the syndicate, abusing the community even more. Perry, who plays the general of the less radical People's Army, now must break into the compound of Robinson's Black Gestapo alone and use his wits to put an end to the mayhem. While the plot seems okay, what makes this a "bad" movie is its production. Most of the actors fall short of adequate in believability, and the movie seems more interested in showing off nudity than talent anyway. The individual members of the white crime syndicate are hilariously bad, as are the comparisons the film tries to make between the Nazis and the black militant group, such as when the entire group is raising their fists and repeatedly shouting "Vengeance!", the movie overdubs a sound clip of Hitler's Nazis repeatedly screaming "Seig Heil!". The boo-chikka-boo-chikka guitar music kind of completes the picture. Also, it seems like when the Black Gestapo gets together, all they really want to do is have sex with white women, which was kind of puzzling. There is absolutely nothing of any value to this movie, unless you like watching prostitutes get abused, black people marching around in Nazi uniforms shouting "Vengeance!", and a gangster's genitalia being cut off with a razor while he takes a bath. Actually, based on that, it's probably worth seeing. Watch it for a laugh, if you can stand it.

Seriously, that's what the film asks you to buy. Mack always seemed pretty friendly and easy going. Even 15 years before Night Court, this is the last guy you could see as a dictator. What next, Doogie Howser of the KGB? Seig Heil Gilligan? Seinfeld the Terrible?

And that any effort at Black liberation is no better than mass murdering Nazis. That's what gets the film 2 pts instead of zero. Lurid Nazi-sploitation of the dumbest kind.

But really the blood and breasts thrown in for no reason are just dull.

Before the opening credits we see real footage of the Nazi army marching and chants of "Sieg Heil". Hitler walks by and the frame freezes. Lettering, "The Black Gestapo", pops up on the screen in old English and the funk music kicks in. Oh my, very weird and sure to ruffle a few feathers.

The first half of the film is the better with the evil white crime syndicate going to war with The People's Army. All too soon though, The People's Army is exploiting it's own people in the exact same manner the driven out whites did. No, we can no longer root for the Black Gestapo since they are shown doing or saying the exact same horrible things the whites had previously done in at least three scenes. The point, very much the same as that of the novel "Animal Farm", is really driven home so that even the least sharp viewer could grasp it. Those who overthrow the oppressor are doomed to become oppressors themselves. Sad to say, my mind was not blown.

Well, as I said, the early battles in the film are sick. The whites have to pack up and leave, threatening to return during one long scene of dialogue, yet they never do. I was left waiting for an awesome climactic gang war, but instead only got a mediocre battle between the one time People's Army leader and his organization gone bad. Yeah, there are some novel deaths, but nothing like the brutality of earlier scenes. One the whole there is some mean stuff in this picture, lots of abuse, and black people in Nazi type uniforms. It won't be forgotten.

Well, the version of this film that I own comes in a 4-pack of Black Vengance, found at Best Buy's bargain movie bin, it contains other genere winners like Black Fist 2, and The Black Six. Its a re-release of the material originally done in the early 1970s firmly rooted in the black power social movement, utilizing the film Blacksploitation title with liberty.

The film its self runs something like 90 minutes, contains several scenes of pointless nudity, poorly coreographed violence, and multiple overdubs of Hitler-era Germany. Language is also a mix of obscenities and jive-lingo. Children really shouldnt see this movie until they are old enough to understand the historical context that produces it.

It centers around General Ahmed's creation of a Black People's Army [read: Brownshirt revolution], that aims to end the gross injustices exercised on the local black populace by a half-assed white 'mob,' interested in extortion money, and beating up prostitutes. After a black nurse is raped by the 'mob', Col. Kojah enters to recruit a special black response unit of commands that begin extracting militant revenge on the white community. Soon after, Kojah's group overpowers everything else Ahmed's ideas stand for, and the Black Gestapo militant unit superceeds it. Most of the movie then focus'es on Kojah's unit [read SS], bedecked in the finest Nazi wears [yes, explicitly done], and the struggle of pressure versus resistance to impose societal justices.

Several themes are somewhat interesting, including the increased violence towards women by both repsonse units, the characterization and sexuality of the women [with unnecessary nudity and sex scenes] as well as a theme of mans' degenerative nation, once given a sip of power. All in all, I'd never pay money to see this in a theater, but for comedic relief it is quite funny. Several social issues can be extrapolated, and I could see how the political/social movement of the times had strongly impacted the final version of the film. Even the end of the film, culminating in the assination of Kojah's soldiers and he himself, appear to summarize the views of the then powerful movement that was destined to implode.

In spite of the conspicuous title, controversial subject matter and the use of provocative archive footage (starring Adolf Hitler), "The Black Gestapo" is not much more than a curious footnote in the rancid world of 70's exploitation. The nearly inseparable writer/director duo Lee Frost and Wes Bishop courageously attempt to depict how immense power will eventually corrupt everybody, even those of whom you least expect it. General Ahmed founded the People's Army in order to protect the black members of the Watts community from mafia thugs, and he dreams about a society of peace and harmony as imagined by Martin Luther King. His second in command Colonel Kojah, however, sympathizes more with the principles of Adolf Hitler and insists on fighting back with hard violence. Kojah's methods expel the white criminals all right, but the ever-increasing power rapidly turns him and his men into even bigger monsters then the white mobsters ever were. "The Black Gestapo" probably would have been far more effective if the creators had spent a little more effort and attention to the black vigilantes' gradual descent into madness. Loads of playtime is spent to the white Mafiosi nagging and acting stupid, whereas the founding of the Black Master Race appears to suddenly happen overnight. Kojah and his rapidly growing army of young black solider take over the prostitution networks and drug traffic, and it's up the still unaware General Ahmed to bring his old pal's empire down again. This is a typically 70's low-budget exploitation effort, meaning there's copious amounts of gratuitous nudity and provocative footage, like adolescent black boys in Nazi uniforms. The noteworthy moments of genuine suspense and intelligent dialog are far more sporadic, of course, not to mention totally absent. The finale, revolving on one man annihilating the entire foundation, is pretty ludicrous and feels like an amateur episode of "The A-Team". Uschi Digard, the voluptuous Swedish cult siren of "Supervixens" and "Truck Stop Women" makes a brief naked appearance; I suppose that's worth a mention as well.

"The Black Gestapo" is visceral Blaxploitation cinema that drives its point home with a vengeance. It may ultimately be simplistic storytelling, but it works. In record time, the viewer sympathizes with the hero, and dislikes all of the antagonists, waiting and eager for their comeuppance. The violence is brutal, the level of exploitation high (with some of the actresses, including the notable Uschi Digard, baring their breasts for the camera), and the music oh so enjoyably funky.

Rod Perry ('S. W. A. T.') stars as General Ahmed, who's started a People's Army to give an assist to the folks in Watts. When nasty white mobsters begin to throw their weight around, he reluctantly agrees to let his second-in-command, Colonel Kojah (Charles Robinson, 'Night Court'), bring in more men to become a protection squad. Wouldn't you know it: once Kojah ascends to power, he and the men he trains become just as bad as the creeps who were oppressing the people before. They have no problems resorting to crime (namely, drugs and prostitution) to generate funds.

Admittedly, the button-pushing "The Black Gestapo" *does* work best in its first half, when Kojah and his associates are striking back at thoroughly despicable heels like sleazy mob enforcer Vito (Phil Hoover). Indeed, Vito's comeuppance is one of the unqualified highlights of the film. Exploitation veteran Lee Frost ("The Defilers") directs with verve, and also appears on screen as top white mobster Vincent, who cradles a toy dog in his arms and sports a toupee. Frosts' frequent collaborator Wes Bishop makes his custom appearance, this playing a mob flunky named Ernest. Perry is good as the impassioned Ahmed, a determined hero if ever there was one, but he's outshone by Robinson (a long way from the role of the lovable Mac on 'Night Court'), who looks like he's having a whale of a time. The foxy Angela Brent does well as the victimized Marsha, a nurse and Ahmeds' former flame.

Good fun in general, "The Black Gestapo" wastes little time and wraps up in a succinct way. The main problem is that not all of the story threads are paid off within this time, so it becomes less than completely satisfying. One may assume that the filmmakers might have intended to give this a sequel at some point.

Seven out of 10.

This film begins with some black men forming a group known as "the People's Army" with the intention of helping the citizens in their local community of Watts. To do that their leader, "General Ahmad" (Rod Perry) has set up a medical clinic and a food store with a grant of money given to him by the governor of California. However, when some local white gangsters harass many of the people and eventually rape his girlfriend "Marsha" (Angela Brent) he finally concedes to the demands of his second-in-command "Colonel Kojah" (Charles Robinson) and allows him to set up a small security force to protect the community as well. What General Ahmad doesn't realize, however, is that Colonel Kojah has a totally different agenda in mind and it is the exact opposite of the peaceful direction for which the People's Army was initially intended. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie was produced during a time when Blaxploitation films were increasingly popular. Some were good. Others--like this particular one--not so much as the script was extremely weak, the acting was poor and some of the scenes bordered on the ridiculous. That said, those familiar with this sub-genre might get some enjoyment out of this picture but even so it's not something that I would recommend and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

I had been intrigued by this title ever since I first saw it at my local DVD rental outlet; however, it turned out to be a disappointment - both as a blaxploitation effort and, more importantly, its supposed indictment of organized violence. While it occasionally throws in an image featuring Hitler and the true Gestapo, the film is really just the typical action fare with blacks rising up against the arrogance of the dominant white population (characterized by a faction of sleazy gangsters led by the director himself!) - after which the black "saviors" get too big for their boots and are themselves put down by their own people (without ever resolving the black vs. white conflict and, in fact, the latter are conveniently forgotten after the halfway point!). There's violence and nudity aplenty but no discernible talent - and, like I said, the possibilities offered by the theme are barely scraped...

Supposedly one of, or THE most mean-spirited/violent blaxsploitation flick (which I assume is the reason why it has such a low rating). Sounds like must-see-TV to this guy.

TBG initially revolves around a group of black guys in uniform standing up to a bunch of white honkey's who are terrorizing their community. Well, this group of black guys, led by the bailiff from Night Court, turn themselves into a private army of lethal and brutal vengeance. But plans backfire as they eventually become what they despised and it's now up to the original guy in charge of the People's Army to set things right. Yeah! Anyways, this was a pretty good flick. Initially it started out very entertaining with oodles of racism by redneck jerks who were all in their own right laugh-out-loud funny. The director Lee Frost was especially good as the leader of the bad white guys. But as the story develops, it becomes a little less entertaining as the racism kinda fades away, and your left with black on black drama. Which isn't as entertaining in my book. But the movie still stays violent, and you also get to see some Uschi Digard boobies.

In the wide world of blaxsploitation I think this flick is a must-see. Especially if you want to see a black dude call another black dude a 'jive-ass n-word'. Hell, I think they use the word 'Jive' like a couple dozen times. And that's a recipe for success in my book.

Hmmm, I bought this flick for $1.99 in the used bin at a local video store, that being said, I don't think I wasted the money.

It's pretty indicative of the Blacksploitation ouevre. Highlights include Mack from Night Court as a militant terrorist and would be ghetto fuhrer, nekkid women for no good reason, and fight scenes that look like guys rough-housing on their lawns after a few too many, (if you know what I mean,).

It's not a great exploitation flick, it's not a horrible exploitation flick, best viewed with a few cold ones and some buddies. Peace.

As a kid, this movie has followed me throughout my life. One reason or another, I resisted as the title alone screamed stupid. The plot is unbelievable, to say the least, the classic theme where the cure is worse than the disease. Rod Perry, Charles Robinson and Angela Brent turn in wonderful performances. If you are looking for a T and A movie? Will not disappoint. The movie will hold your attention, do not think to hard about the plot. 3:00am, unwind, relax and get ready for a few good laugh; the key is 3:00am.

The Black Gestapo is primarily a movie about racism in Los Angeles in the 1970s. The film revolves around a group of black radicals who are fed up with paying a percentage of their hard-earned money to the whites. This is turn leads to a Nazi-type movement which leads to a separate group of black soldiers taking the situation into their own hands. It is a very confusing story that does not hold up well throughout the film and is left in pieces by the end.

I will make it clear before I get into it though that this is definitely not a movie for kids. Between the full nudity that is in no short supply throughout, harsh racial terms, a scene in which a man gets his genitals cut off, tons of blood......this is a strong R and borderline X rated film. That said, the rest of the film is just not worth watching. The music is random and sporadic. One moment it will be this serious type of tune, and then out of nowhere it will break out into some crazy funk. I mentioned before how the story makes no sense, the characters are extremely hard to follow, the locations seem to follow no real path, the film ditches the main conflict for a new one by the end...........it's just a total waste.

One of the best signs that this movie is a low-budget, low-quality piece of crap is when two men are fighting in a pool (how original). At the end, when the dead corpse of the loser emerges, we see that the actor forgot to take his goggles off (not present at the beginning of the fight). The actors are a mixed bag, with some being just barely passing, while others are just completely inept.

Don't be expecting an amazing ending either, because there is hardly any resolution to the conflict at the end. All in all, "Black Gestapo" is a very bad film that can be mildly entertaining if you are into watching bad films. If not, just skip it.....you are not going to miss anything.

(1975) The Black Enforcers/ The Black Gestapo SOCIAL COMMENTARY CRIME DRAMA

Co-written and directed by Lee Frost who also has a small role as loan shark Vince. It opens with gangsters or the syndicate going around collecting debts inflicted by two thugs of Vito (Phil Hoover) and Ernie (Wes Bishop). They are among two who work for loan shark, named Vince (Lee Frost), and he instructs his men to turn up the heat. Butting heads with "the People's Army" led by General Ahmed (Rod Perry) which was intended to act like a volunteer group. And it was not until a particular nurse, the People's Army is familiar with by the name of Marsha (Angela Brent) gets assaulted by one of Vince's men, Vito is when General Ahmed allows his right hand man, Colonel Kojah (Charles Robinson) to have six men to go with him to act as a security force. And he adamantly instructs Kojah to function only to protect African American citizens and not to attack. And the first thing Kojah does is acquire a violent black guy, Delmay (Edward Cross) to recruit members before letting it all go to his head, by first taking the over the syndicate's money reigns before beginning to act like thugs themselves.

You want the movie go black and white and it goes very grey, that is supposed to symbolize something that has no meaning.

BLACK GESTAPO is a hoot. I mean it's funny and entertaining and never bores. It keeps clicking along right until the very much unbelievable end. You got 'nads being chopped off, naked women all over the place, black men dressing up like nazis and a mean,nasty vibe this picture just can't shake. I suggest buying it. Today.