Jim Kelly June Jamboree: Three The Hard Way (1974)

THE MOVIE
We start things off at some sort of farm-prison-camp-type-thing, where an inmate(?) is serving food to other inmates. Eventually he breaks free and steals a gun, shooting a bunch of the guards - and getting shot himself, but still managing to escape. He makes his way to his good friend and clearly very successful record producer, Jimmy (Jim Brown), who gets him to a hospital. Jimmy wants to know what happened, but the dude is too traumatised. So Jimmy's girlfriend convinces him to leave her in charge at the hospital and head back to the studio, because he needs to get back to telling The Inspirations they look bad and sound worse (he said it, not me!).

Of course, once he leaves, the bad dudes come in and kill the escaped prisoner and kidnap Jimmy's woman.

Then the bad guys start chasing Jimmy and trying to kill him - and not particularly subtly, either. 

Meanwhile, Jimmy's woman is taken back to the home of Monroe Feather. He's says he has a plan to wipe African-Americans off the face of the Earth with science. 

So Jimmy heads to Chicago and hits up his other pal, Jagger (Fred Williamson)

and then they both go meet up with their other good friend, Mister Keyes - my main man, Jim Kelly! With a funky new moustache.

After a battle with the bad guys in a car wash (does Jim Kelly just enjoy keeping clean while busting fools?) they capture one of these clowns and Keyes enlists the help of three topless women to torture him. Yes, you read that correct. Anyways, the dude is so emotionally scarred by seeing naked boobs that he tells them all about Feather's evil plan to poison the water supply with a chemical that will only kill Africans. He even tells them it's all going down in L.A., Detroit and Washington! Then, he promptly dies - boobs are scary, yo!

From there, our heroes go on an all-out attack to put an end to Feather's plans; each man takes a city and whoops Feather's henchmen before they can contaminate the waters. African-American people are now safe! Apart from, you know, all the racism and police brutality. But then they reunite and head to Feather's home, where he is hosting some sort of Nazi dinner or some bullshit. So they need to bust in, save Jimmy's woman, and put a stop to Feather and his Nazi bullshit once and for all!

REACTION
Where Black Belt Jones was a tour de force of action-comedy, Three the Hard Way is just a straight action movie with a sprinkling of humour, and some serious race issues driving the absolutely bonkers plot. Having these three iconic actors come together for the first time, I did come in with high expectations that weren't quite met. But overall, it is still an entertaining and fast-paced ride. Jim Brown and Fred Williamson always deliver when you need some tough dudes to dish out justice.

JIM KELLY
Mister Keyes is one bad mutha! His introduction in the movie involves being setup by the pigs by planting drugs in his car, and he just don't play that! He explains that his first name is in fact "Mister" - his mother named him that so people would be forced to show him respect. Then he just takes that respect by beating up the entire Chicago police force for being dishonest pigs trying to set him up.

My favourite part here was when he is standing over all the carnage of smashed police cars and unconscious police officers, Jimmy and Jagger appear, and then these dudes have a bit of a chat, like they are just running in to each other at a cafe or something and not a fucking warzone. That Keyes should probably be fleeing as quickly as possible. But then again, I think that speaks to how much of a total badass the man is - he just gives zero fucks! Come and get him, you dirty racist pigs! Also of note; when they are infiltrating Feather's house, all three men are dressed in black - because, you know, blending in with the night or whatever. But as soon as they actually start their plan to get inside, Keyes ditches his top and just decides to go shirtless for the whole operation. Good stuffs.

If you're looking for three black men blowing shit up and whooping Nazis, then I have the movie for you...