Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: Cliff Roquemore
Starring: Rudy Ray Moore, Lady Reed, Jimmy Lynch, Java, ERNIE HUDSON (no kidding)
From: The original Dimension Pictures
In the past I've viewed a few Rudy Ray Moore pictures on multiple occasions; this was one I had seen only once before, long ago. Somehow I had few memories of just how daffy this was. It's not as inept as the original Dolemite-no boom mics are seen this time-but it still is rather incompetent when it comes to such things as logic and storytelling.
The opening act is Dolemite and friends (one of whom was played by a bald ERNIE HUDSON in one of his first movies) partying in what is laughably supposed to be rural southwestern Alabama-more on that later-before they leave for California due to a racist sheriff's actions-this sheriff resembling a maniacal Kenny Rogers-where they get wrapped up in a plot where Dolemite's lady pal Queen Bee has some of the girls stolen from her nightclub by a rival club owner... of course a gross old white guy who has Mob ties.
The Human Tornado is still piss-poor when you look at such aspects as editing and plot progression; in its favor is that it has some intentional laughs along with the many unintentional ones (this does NOT include the stand-up that Moore does in the opening) and the expected vulgar Dolemite rhymes. While there is a rather unsubtle homosexual man who is in a few scenes, at least that did not become homophobic... plus in a key supporting role is Java, a trans lady who was always presented as a lady and her trans status was never acknowledged. In real life, Java was a well-known dancer in the Los Angeles area. Anyway, the martial arts don't look as bad as in Dolemite, although typically when you see Moore do them, the footage is sped up, presumably to disguise how much of a fighter he is not. Also, what a baffling ending. If you love Moore in his debut picture...
While the movie was obviously entirely filmed in southern California, the opening 20 or so minutes was supposed to be southwestern Alabama. I know this as a brief shot established that initial setting as an obscure town called Citronelle... which my family and I have driven through on a few occasions before. It was done on our treks from Florida to Kansas, where one of my two sisters lives. Even in 2020 the population is less than 5,000, making me wonder how and why it was chosen for the film. I can tell you Citronelle has no hills or giant mansions, although I am sure there are more than a few bigots around.
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