Boss [Blu-ray]

Director: Jack Arnold Jack Arnold

Overview

Director Jack Arnold, who once guided the destinies of Creature From the Black Lagoon, does the same for the equally fearsome Fred Williamson in Boss Nigger. Set in the Old West, the film casts Williamson and D'Urville Martin as a pair of ruthless bounty hunters. They ride into the town where their quarry is hiding, then set about to threaten, cajole, and brutalize everyone in the community. Surprisingly, the violence is rather tame in comparison to other films of this ilk. Co-scripted by Fred Williamson (who seems to have overdosed on Randolph Scott flicks), Boss Nigger's video title was shortened to simply Boss ; the film is also known as The Black Bounty Killer.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/24/2018
UPC:	0688474350649
Original Release:	1974
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kit Parker Films
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00
Sales rank:	23,044

Special Features

English SDH subtitles; HD 1080p; "A conversation with Fred "The Hammer" Williamson with Joel Blumberg; "Jack Arnold Tribute" by Myrl Schreibman; "A Boss Memory" with producer Myrl Schreibman; Original theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Fred Williamson	Boss Nigger
D'Urville Martin	Amos
R.G. Armstrong	Mayor
William Smith	Actor
Jerry Butler	Actor
Mike Horner	Actor
Angel Kelly	Actor
Krista Lane	Actor
Shauna McCullough	Actor
Carmen Hayworth	Clara Mae
Barbara Leigh	Miss Pruitt
Don Barry	Actor
Carmen Zapata	Actor
Ben Zeller	Blacksmith
Elizabeth Saxon	Uppity Wife
V. Phipps-Wilson	Bubbles
Philip Mead	Mayor's Man

Technical Credits

Fred Williamson

Fred Williamson	Producer,Screenwriter
Jack Arnold	Producer,Director

Editorial Reviews

Jack Arnold directed a handful of smart, snappy and memorable genre pictures in the 1950's, including The Incredible Shrinking Man, It Came From Outer Space, High School Confidential and No Name On The Bullet, showing he knew how to make something fun and memorable out of ordinary material. But by 1975, Arnold was making a living knocking out episodes of The Brady Bunch and Love American Style, and there wasn't a lot of inspiration to be found in his work for hire. That's the biggest problem with Boss Nigger, a blaxploitation western Arnold cranked out in 1975 for producer, screenwriter, star and all-around badass Fred Williamson; Arnold's direction is professional, no more and no less, and keeps the story moving forward but never kicks this picture into third gear, creeping along without gaining momentum and giving the material about as much visual excitement as one of his episodes of Nanny and the Professor. As is so often the case in a grade-B western, it's up to the cast to bring some personality to this story, and they almost save the day. R.G. Armstrong and William Smith don't exactly break new ground as the city's corrupt sheriff and a sadistic outlaw, but they bring the sort of juice that made them fan favorites for folks who dig genre cinema, and there's something entertainingly surreal about seeing D'urville Martin bringing his sub-Dolemite comic relief to the Old West. But the star of this picture is Fred Williamson, and as usual the Hammer delivers the goods; he's not much on the subtle stuff, but when it comes time to show some swagger, take on the bad guys and kick some serious butt, Williamson can come to the rescue without forsaking his anti-hero status, and he takes this role just seriously enough to be commanding while displaying just enough tongue-in-cheek humor to let the fans know he's having fun playing cowboy. Boss Nigger lacks the iconic status of Williamson's earlier period effort The Legend of Nigger Charley, and not without reason -- for the most part, this is a standard-issue formula western dressed up with some blaxploitation gingerbread. But Williamson and his supporting cast give the picture more energy than it would likely have had with another cast, and fans of the Hammer will find it to be good, undemanding fun.