While watching 1972’s HIT MAN on TCM last week and in between bouts of nearly falling off the couch laughing a few times at the unintentional comedy gold, it hit me that I’d see this film’s story elsewhere. Granted, you get what you pay for with most “blaxploitation” flicks in the form of a reworking of older (and often, superior) films, but there was something here under all the massive afros, copious nudity and violence that seemed pretty familiar.

That something happened to be Get Carter, the classic 1971 British gangster film from director Mike Hodges that was an early showcase for Michael Caine as well as a pretty darn great and mature killer of a movie. A year later, director George Armitage pretty much piled on the T&A, beefing up the sexy time and violence to racier American levels of shameless acceptability and the cast here does a pretty awesome job at making this one of those absolutely memorable (but yes, gloriously bad on so many levels) “B” flicks that’s going to have your head shaking and spinning simultaneously…

The story is pretty much the same as Get Carter’s, but it’s the casting here and generous usage of profanity, firearms and assorted beat down action that keeps this one always eye-popping. Bernie Casey is Tackett, his brother is dead at the hands of some killers, there’s a porno subplot that leads to another relative dying and yes, Tackett gets to beat on, sleep with and kill a bunch of people. Er, not EVERYONE he meets goes through that three-step Tackett Method, but if they’re not on his side, chances are two of those three things are going to occur and you’ll be laughing about it at some point. The man has some help from a small cast of misfits who all deliver some hilarious lines as they deal with Tackett’s mood swings as he plots and plays out his vengeance plans.

If anything, the assassins in this film are REALLY good at killing Tackett’s relatives, but REALLY lousy at dispatching the big man himself. There’s a crew of guys he threatens, beats up and shoots or otherwise kills off during the film that have to be the most inept threats in an action film. The funniest thing about these killers is there are the usual stereotypical black thug types in this gang but there’s also ONE white guy with a 70’s style Art Garfunkel hairdo who’s supposed to be tough, but he looks like the weakest link in the chain as it were. After Tackett beats them up and chases them off in one scene, later on he and a lady he’s in bed with are interrupted (mid-sex scene, mind you) by a pair of the men and you’re thinking “Uh-Oh… here comes a showdown!” Nope. Tackett whips out a shotgun from by the bed, blows a big hole in the ceiling and scares the two off before jumping out of bed, throwing some clothes on and it’s out the door with a snappy insult to the poor gal who’s still unsatisfied. PRICELESS.

Even more amusing is Pam Grier’s role in this one. She’s playing a bad girl here (a very bad girl!) and yep, gets to sleep with Tackett as well (it’s like his hobby in this film!). But as soon as he finds out she’s part of the reason for the deaths in his family, Hoo Boy-o, does she get put through the revenge wringer. Let’s just say there’s a reason for those earlier scenes in the jungle-themed live animal park and some lioness was sleeping well one night (*burp!*) after a bit of dancing and dining. Poor Pam! Well, a gal’s gotta get a break somewhere and as you know, she went on to play a few well known smarter and shoot-ier lead roles in somewhat better (but still exploitative) genre films. Did I mention there’s a lot of nudity in this movie? Well, there is, so get used to it. Also get used to hearing Casey and other characters toss around that “N-word” like it’s a baseball at spring training. It’s used in so many amusing ways here that it becomes a running gag. “OK, Tackett’s on screen… who’s gonna get it now?”

Toss in some even more stereotypical “Italian” mobsters (no one walks away safe here on the racial front), a Black Panther-like group of killers Tackett hooks up with to take out the trash, more Afros than you’ll see anywhere outside of a vintage Soul Train episode and all sorts of fine mayhem that probably got some stuntmen some fine hazard pay and this one’s a minor classic worth tracking down. The TCM print was surprisingly gorgeous for a film like this to the point I thought someone had restored it or lucked out and found some reels that had barely been screened. Then again, this one’s bound to offend some and please others like any exploitation film should, so tread lightly if it’s your first time at the rodeo, I say. Everyone else, eat up and come back for seconds – it’s quite a feast for the senses, all this senselessness…