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Cleopatra Jones

Cleopatra Jones

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay blaxploitation film
Review: "Cleopatra Jones" is a surprisingly well-made action film, and although it offers nothing new, it has more going for it than many other films of this type. Drugs, inner-city violence, dealers and their remora of enforcers are what Amazon warrior Cleopatra Jones is up against and she tackles these evils with the help of two karate experts. Car chases, shootouts, killings and karate fights are all done with professional skill but it's too bad that Bernie Casey wasn't given more to do because he's wasted in this picture. Shelley Winters is way over the top as a lesbian drug dealer in an embarrassing performance that adds nothing to the film or her reputation as a capable Hollywood actress who won an Oscar in a supporting role in "A Patch of Blue" [1965]. Joe Simon's punchy vocals accompany the action on a soundtrack that seems to mirror Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tamara Dobson is awesome!
Review: All I can say is "Where is Tamara Dobson today?" She plays the super-agent with perfection and literally lights up the screen. The movie is interesting, but she is what makes it work! That woman should still be in films today!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Major Company's Answer to Blaxploitation Vogue
Review: As a good example to see how a major studio handles topics in vogue, "Cleopatra Jones" is worth watching. I mean, there is nothing new in this film except the fact that more money is invested than in "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown," small, independent company's works. The formula is basically the same as those of so-called blaxploitaion films, but the shoot-out, car chase, or explosion scenes are all updated.

This movie is about Cleopatra Jones, or "Cleo," sexy, cool, no-nonsense secret agent for government, who fights against drug syndicate. And she uses karate (a bit). Well, the rest is as you guess. Tamara Dobson is remembered as Cleo, and rightly so. Her tall, slender body fits exactly Cleopatra's character, and she is pretty impressive, and her acting is not bad.

However, much, much more impressive is Shelley Winters (Oscar winner!!), who plays "Mommy," ruthless mastermind behind drug business. Her hammy performance -- wearing a black leather jacket, yelling "I will kill HERRR!!! -- is something you see in your nightmare. She overacts so much that if Golden Raspberry Awards had been there back in the 70s, she surely would have win the prize of the decade. The final scene, in which Cleo fights Mammy (yes, they fight!!) in a junkyard, will become ... well ... a bizzare memory for you.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Major Company's Answer to Blaxploitation Vogue
Review: As a good example to see how a major studio handles topics in vogue, "Cleopatra Jones" is worth watching. I mean, there is nothing new in this film except the fact that more money is invested than in "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown," small, independent company's works. The formula is basically the same as those of so-called blaxploitaion films, but the shoot-out, car chase, or explosion scenes are all updated.

This movie is about Cleopatra Jones, or "Cleo," sexy, cool, no-nonsense secret agent for government, who fights against drug syndicate. And she uses karate (a bit). Well, the rest is as you guess. Tamara Dobson is remembered as Cleo, and rightly so. Her tall, slender body fits exactly Cleopatra's character, and she is pretty impressive, and her acting is not bad.

However, much, much more impressive is Shelley Winters (Oscar winner!!), who plays "Mommy," ruthless mastermind behind drug business. Her hammy performance -- wearing a black leather jacket, yelling "I will kill HERRR!!! -- is something you see in your nightmare. She overacts so much that if Golden Raspberry Awards had been there back in the 70s, she surely would have win the prize of the decade. The final scene, in which Cleo fights Mammy (yes, they fight!!) in a junkyard, will become ... well ... a bizzare memory for you.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Major Company's Answer to Blaxploitation Vogue
Review: As a good example to see how a major studio handles topics in vogue, "Cleopatra Jones" is worth watching. I mean, there is nothing new in this film except the fact that more money is invested than in "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown," small, independent company's works. The formula is basically the same as those of so-called blaxploitaion films, but the shoot-out, car chase, or explosion scenes are all updated.

This movie is about Cleopatra Jones, or "Cleo," sexy, cool, no-nonsense secret agent for government, who fights against drug syndicate. And she uses karate (a bit). Well, the rest is as you guess. Tamara Dobson is remembered as Cleo, and rightly so. Her tall, slender body fits exactly Cleopatra's character, and she is pretty impressive, and her acting is not bad.

However, much, much more impressive is Shelley Winters (Oscar winner!!), who plays "Mommy," ruthless mastermind behind drug business. Her hammy performance -- wearing a black leather jacket, yelling "I will kill HERRR!!! -- is something you see in your nightmare. She overacts so much that if Golden Raspberry Awards had been there back in the 70s, she surely would have win the prize of the decade. The final scene, in which Cleo fights Mammy (yes, they fight!!) in a junkyard, will become ... well ... a bizzare memory for you.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: stylish, but not worth owning
Review: Cleopatra Jones could have been the next James Bond with more funding. Sadly, all there was to work with was a Bat Man car and a fairly nice city apartment. This movie is sort of low budget, and not even cheezy at that. If you want to see a cheezy (...) film as mimicked in MAD TV's Dolemite and the (...) Cane, this is not the one to watch. This just is not a movie that can be enjoyed legitamately or made fun of. It's just sort of boring with a few flourishes of color and and action. Coffy has a cheezy battle seen at the end, though.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Campy '70s Fun!
Review: I have always really liked this movie since it came out in 1973. I have watched it countless times through the years on TV, but haven't seen it for a while on TV so I picked it up on DVD. Although the DVD doesn't offer a lot of features, the picture quality is good and it's presented in it's original cinemascope format. This was one of the higher budget "blaxploitation" flicks from the '70s. Seeing it as a kid I thought it was the coolest movie. Now that I am a lot older, it's still cool, but in a campy/fun way. The plot consists of a government agent named Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson)who is hired to rid the US of drugs. She goes after one of the "Queenpins" of the drug trade called Mommy, played by Shelley Winters. The one thing I never forgot about this movie was Cleopatra's kickin' Corvette complete with a cassette deck, which was really high-end at the time! (Most cars had 8-track players) Along with this was her funky fashions! If you like the '70s action genre, this is a great addition to your library.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Campy '70s Fun!
Review: I have always really liked this movie since it came out in 1973. I have watched it countless times through the years on TV, but haven't seen it for a while on TV so I picked it up on DVD. Although the DVD doesn't offer a lot of features, the picture quality is good and it's presented in it's original cinemascope format. This was one of the higher budget "blaxploitation" flicks from the '70s. Seeing it as a kid I thought it was the coolest movie. Now that I am a lot older, it's still cool, but in a campy/fun way. The plot consists of a government agent named Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson)who is hired to rid the US of drugs. She goes after one of the "Queenpins" of the drug trade called Mommy, played by Shelley Winters. The one thing I never forgot about this movie was Cleopatra's kickin' Corvette complete with a cassette deck, which was really high-end at the time! (Most cars had 8-track players) Along with this was her funky fashions! If you like the '70s action genre, this is a great addition to your library.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Just in Praise of Dobson
Review: I have loved this movie for a very long time,
and no matter what your movie tastes may be,
this movie is very entertaining. In this film,
what has always interested me most was how,
in 1973 of all times, a black woman was able to
flex so much power in a government agency.
Cleopatra Jones moves with such grace and
power you'd think the FBI worked for her.

Nonetheless Tamara Dobson is a refreshing
alternative to the fierce and sometime maniacal
characters portrayed by Pam Grier. While both actresses
displayed power, Dobson comes across more classy
and refined, whereas Grier wasted no time getting
down and dirty. This movie is not high cinema, but
it is by far one of the best films of the blaxploitation genre. If you have little or no experience with the
genre, "Cleopatra Jones" raises the bar astronomically and
everything afterwards will be a staggering disapointment.
I wish there were more action, and the martial arts
sequences are laughable at best (trademark blaxploitation).

This is a very fun film, not to be taken too
seriously. I would recommend it just for the
sake of watching Dobson in action. I have never
seen anyone else in films who is as captivating.
Mind you, I said captivating, not beautiful
(although she is that and more). Beautiful
actresses are a dime a dozen, but
how many of them could make you turn the volume
down completely and be content just with watching her
graceful movements and total control of every
scene. Not many. Tamara Dobson is a delight in
this film, and in the sequel, Cleopatra Jones and
the Casino of Gold. I wish she had been more
succesful in her acting efforts, but at least
this film stands as a gem of the blaxploitation era.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: For Blaxploitation fans only
Review: If you liked the trashy Blaxploitation films of the 70s, you'll love this. If you're like me and hate this junk-filled genre, it ain't for you.

Bad acting (especially Shelly Winters and the ubiquitous Antonio Fargas), overdone story (main character getting revenge for framing by the (of course) racist crooked cops), ad nauseum. Good for laughs, but not much else.

However, there are some redeeming features that raise this from one starts to two for me. Bernie Casey comes off as a very sincere and redeeming character who tries to rid th eneighborhood of drug abuse. Cleo Jones herself shows that women can be smart as well as sexy (though she's not quite as charasmatic as Pam Grier's characters and Pam's a better actress). But in either case, this is one of those films best watched with a bunch of your friends over and a cooler filled with beers nearby.


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