Bullet Points: Bucktown

Question… what time is it where you are at right now? If you answered anything but “Hammer Time” you would be wrong.

For five decades now “The Hammer” Fred Williamson has been kicking ass in the world of action entertainment, making him one of the longest running action stars in history. In this edition of Bullet Points, we take a look at one of Williamson’s earlier films, 1975’s Bucktown.

• The Problem: Fred Williamson plays Duke Johnson. Duke arrives in Bucktown to attend his brother’s funeral and handle his brother’s estate. As soon as he gets off the train Duke witnesses some police brutality being dished out by Bucktown’s “finest”. After the funeral Duke finds out it will be 60 days until the estate closes, now the most valuable asset bequeathed to Duke was the club his brother owned named the Club Alabam. The Club Alabam was a real hot spot in Bucktown with the locals and the enlisted men at the nearby Army base. So with 60 days to kill in Bucktown, Harley (Bernie Hamilton) one of the locals and a friend of Duke’s brother, convinces Duke he should reopen the club, get it hot again, making it easier to sell. Harley and two more of his brothers acquaintances Aretha (Pam Grier) and young Steve (Tierre Turner) help Duke get the Club Alabam back on its feet. But Duke soon finds out how the local authorities make it difficult to run a business in Bucktown. Not only do they charge him $450 for a license, the dirty cops of the town come by each week to collect. Duke doesn’t want any part of these shakedowns so he phones a friend…

• The Cure: Duke calls his good friend Roy (Thalmus Rasulala) and gives him the 411 on what is happening in ol’ Bucktown U.S.A. Duke asks for Roy’s help and suggests Roy brings some muscle with him. When Roy and his muscle, TJ, Josh and Hambone, show up in Bucktown, war is declared on the cops and the way they police the town. Nobody had ever stood up to the cops in Bucktown before and that gave Duke and Roy an element of surprise and it isn’t long before the dirty cops are eliminated and the city of Bucktown is in debt to the men who chased out the corruption.

• The Side Effects: Unfortunately for the mayor and the people of Bucktown, Roy and his boys don’t want to be rewarded with a parade in their honor. They want the very badges of the men they eliminated from the police force. This would be all well in good if Roy didn’t go into business for himself, picking right up where the last dirty regime left off. Now it is Roy and TJ and Josh and Hambone shaking down the local business owners. They see themselves as modern day Robin Hoods, but Duke sees them as four guys who betrayed his trust and the table is set for a final loser leaves town showdown between Duke and Roy.

There are a lot of Blaxploitation movies out there, but to me Bucktown was a step above many of the other films of that era. I think part of that that is because the movie starred Blaxploitation royalty in Fred Williamson and Pam Grier (who shares her tits with the world in this one.)  I would award Thalmus Rasulala as the movie’s MVP. Rasulala was perfect as the villain who didn’t think what he was doing was wrong and that it was actually Duke who needed to change his way of thinking. The story that Bucktown told was nothing new, but it was executed extremely well by a talented cast.

Now before I wrap up this review I see no reason to buck the trend of Bonus Bullet Points, so here we go…

• The Name Game: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Carl Weathers has been blessed with some of the best character names in the history of cinema. Even in a smaller supporting role like he has in Bucktown, he still has the best name of anyone in the film… Hambone!
• Favorite Scene: With the odds against them, Duke and Steve “borrow” an armored vehicle from the nearby army base and drive right through the police station.
• Travelocity: Thinking of visiting Bucktown on your next vacation? Well you might have a problem since the city of Bucktown is not an actual city. Bucktown is a trendy neighborhood in Chicago, so there is a Bucktown you can visit, but it will be vastly different than the one depicted in the movie. Or you can visit Platte City, Missouri where much of the filming of Bucktown took place.
• Stunt Your Growth: The young actor who played Steve, Tierre Turner, grew up to be a successful Hollywood stuntman. Turner has performed stunts in more than 100 movies including Die Hard 2, Marked for Death, Rapid Fire and Double Dragon.