I'm really not half the expert on Rudy Ray Moore that I would like to be or that my friends Steve and Leon are. They recommended this film highly to me and I put it in the Employee's choice section at Blockbuster Video. Unfortunately, I was the only one to rent it.
In The Human Tornado, Moore plays his character Dolemite — an ass kickin' muthafucker that could kick lightning's ass and throw thunder in jail. Mr. Dolemite usually speaks in rhymed couplets about fornication and tells jokes that could make a nun blush. And tell them he does! After the incredible action intro sequence and the blazing credits we see Dolemite in his element — on stage. We get quite a hefty bit of his act cut together with a half-nude dancing woman and lots of audience reaction shots.
If the director was French this film would be hailed as a triumph but instead, his erratic cutting style and use of fast-motion photography would be marked the work of a hack instead of the cinematic genius he is. Who is the man behind the camera? Well, none other than Cliff Roquemore (Libra) and if that doesn't sound like a pseudonym, I don't know what does.
The story is that Dolemite is on the run from a red-neck sheriff who killed his own wife because she was in bed with Dolemite (but who can resist?) Dolemite is also trying to get back a few of Queen Bee's "girls" (one of them looks entirely like a female impersonator and I kept waiting for the revelation of a penis) from the mob. He is aided by his friends including a karate expert (who pales in comparison to Dolemite himself) and a guy that looks a lot like Ernie Hudson — there is a guy in the credits named Louis Hudson: are they one and the same?
My viewing experience was marred by a squeaky tape and the print was horrible! One entire reel is marked with what look like sprocket hole scratches and the film is missing several frames here and there.
For more fine Rudy Ray Moore films check out: The Avenging Disco Godfather (recently re-released as Disco Godfather), Dolemite, Rude (his concert film), The Devil's Son-In-Law (also recently re-released as Petey Wheatstraw — The Devil's Son-In-Law), and Monkey Hustle. Also, be sure to check out the new documentary The Legend of Dolemite.