Bullet Points: Black Oak Conspiracy
Some people really get into conspiracy theories, and I can’t help but think that movies play a large part of those beliefs. There is nothing that is far-fetched when it is introduced in a movie and it doesn’t hurt to put the word conspiracy right in the title. Black Oak Conspiracy is a 1977 action movie that gets the audience to believe that a sheriff department, mining company and nursing home all conspire to take land from a town to line their pockets. Black oak… black helicopters… wait those conspiracy theorists might be onto something!
- Fake Out – Is there anything better than the fake out action scene that is really a movie being filmed in the movie? Black Oak Conspiracy starts with a car chase, shootout, explosion and controlled burn but it is really just a perfect way to introduce us to stuntman Jingo Johnson (Jesse Vint). First off, strong name, and second I love a good stunt behind the scenes. Jingo gets a note on set that he needs to go back to his hometown in Black Oak County because his mother is very ill. Who thinks there will be a conspiracy in Black Oak?
- Something Is Rotten in Black Oak – Jingo quickly learns Black Oak isn’t the same place he left when no less than five minutes back in town he gets into a fight in front of the Midget Kitchen. Settle down, that is the actual name of the local diner. The mining company is the new owner of Jingo’s mother’s land and they are not too hospitable with Jingo and the sheriff wants Jingo to vamoose.
- Friends and Family – Jingo has some allies in Black Oak with his good friend Homer (Seymour Cassel, Eye of the Tiger) and Homer’s sister Lucy (Karen Carlson, The Octagon) who happens to be Jingo’s former girlfriend he left when he went to Hollywood. Lucy is now dating Harrison Hancock (Robert F. Lyons, Platoon Leader) the son of Bryan Hancock or better known as the head of the mining company. What a tangled web we weave. Do you know what an action movie doesn’t need? A man named Jingo talking to his comatose mother in a nursing home. I’ll give Jesse Vint some credit because he can show some emotion, but it is a real drag. That old lady could stare at the ceiling with the best of them.
- Conspirators – Jingo discovers there is a conspiracy in Black Oak and it is a doozy. The mining company wants the land so they have a doctor get old people sick and then have a nursing home offer free care in exchange for their land and then the nursing home continues to feed the old people pills so they never get better. They are some truly vile and convoluted people with the worst of the bunch being Sheriff Otis Grimes (Albert Salmi, Caddyshack). What a grimy character, check out the Bonus Bullet Points to further my point.
- Bustin Makes Me Feel Good – When Jingo’s mother dies, which comes after all the harassment administered to Jingo, it is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Full conspiracy busing time! Of course, Jingo manages to get back with Lucy first for those that are curious. Jingo’s cause is helped because the sheriff has gone completely nuts which is also a good thing for the audience. A shotgun is an effective way to eliminate your enemies head.
Black Oak Conspiracy is not a movie that will help you alleviate your fear of conspiracies. It will, however, help you get your action fix. Having the main character be a stuntman is an excellent way to explain why he can excel in fisticuffs and fancy driving and Jingo gets involved in both. Villains can make or break an action film and Sheriff Grimes is one easy villain to hate in a good way. I don’t want to break these Black Oak Conspiracy Bullet Points so I will leave you with some Black Oak Conspiracy Bonus Bullet Points.
- Like Father Not Like Son – Robert F. Lyons manages to pull off the leisure suit look, but his on screen father Douglas Fowley made a mistake pairing his with a western bow tie.
- That Is Pretty Ugly Quote – I mentioned Sheriff Grimes was not a good guy and we quickly learn that when he says this to his wife: “You look like something the wolf ate and shit over a cliff.”
- Familiar Faces – Deputy Bullard was played by a fresh faced James Gammon (Running Cool) who was hard to recognize without his gravelly voice. Bryan Hancock was played by Douglas Fowley whom I always remember for his work with Charles Bronson in From Noon Till Three and The White Buffalo. You might recognize Dr. Roades (Will Hare) as Dollars from Enter the Ninja or as the judge in Vendetta.
- Name Game – Black Oak Conspiracy has some of the better names in a movie that I have seen in awhile. Besides Jingo (real name Ralph) we get Otis, Homer, Billie Bob, Beluah and Melba.
- Spud – Potato in the tailpipe will never get old.
- 2WD – Driving on only two wheels will never get old. Dig that 1968 El Camino.
- Talent Show – One of the more memorable scenes happens at a talent show which features a lady singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” after sucking on helium. As good as she was, she can’t hold a candle to the kazoo band. It was a simpler time.
