Just perfect...

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Probably what might make most people give this particular Blaxploitation movie a look is the promise of "Gordon" from the children's television show "Sesame Street" playing a flamboyant pimp. There definitely is some novelty to get from that, and the movie boasts other attributes such as good production values (including a lot of outrageous clothing choices).However, the end results overall are to some degree a bit unsatisfying. One reason for that is the portrayal of the title character. I was unsure throughout whether we are supposed to be on the side of Willie Dynamite or not. I suspect not... but I'm not sure, one reason maybe being that the character is kind of thin. It's hard to get into the head of this character a lot of the time and get his perspective of things. The script also suffers from the fact that the narrative is more or less a collection of vignettes loosely connected together, rather than one strong story thread.If you like Blaxploitation movies from the 1970s, you'll probably find enough to enjoy here. However, you'll probably still see a fairly large bit of potential that wasn't quite realized.

This Blaxploitation classic merits a viewing on at least two bases: one, you've got none other than Gordon of 'Sesame Street', a.k.a. actor Roscoe Orman, playing a pimp, and two, you have to love these COSTUMES! "Willie Dynamite" (Orman) is a capitalism-oriented flesh peddler with a wardrobe to die for. But he'll have a few thorns in his side: a pair of detectives (George Murdock, Albert Hall) out to righteously bust him, a mysterious enemy determined to screw him over, and a crusading social worker named Cora (Diana Sands), who acts as a patron saint to hookers.Directed with style by Gilbert Moses, "Willie Dynamite" is generally engaging entertainment. Some viewers may be pleased to note that, although the rating is R, there's no excessive violence, and very little in the way of bare female skin. That doesn't mean, however, that it's not worth other peoples' time. It spins a decent yarn (screenplay by Ron Cutler, based on a story by Cutler and Joe Keyes Jr.) that unfolds at a respectable pace, gives us some agreeable action set pieces, and makes fine use of locations. There's a wonderful score provided by J.J. Johnson, and a rousing title theme song that gets you in the proper mood immediately.Orman is great fun playing a charismatic antihero. The scenario lets you wait until the end to let you know whether or not Willie D. can be redeemed, leading to some poignant moments. Sands, sadly dying of cancer during this time, gives the best performance in the movie. Thalmus Rasulala is saddled with little to do as her attorney boyfriend. Similarly, there are other familiar faces here that are rather wasted. Judith Brown, Juanita Brown, Marcia McBroom, and Mary Charlotte Wilcox as some of Willie D.'s hookers mostly just take up space. The pretty Joyce Walker gets the lions' share of attention as novice ho Pashen. Roger Robinson, as an antagonistic pimp named Bell, is most amusing, but there may be viewers who will take offense to his stereotypical portrayal of a gay character."Willie Dynamite" is lively, funny, and sometimes touching. Blaxploitation completists will want to check it out, for sure.Seven out of 10.

A classic 70's Blaxploitation film. Pimps as colorful as peacocks with land cruisers dressed in chrome.Roscoe Orman (Gordon from Sesame Street) plays Willie, a pimp who has the patter down pat and the clothing that rivals anything that your imagination can come up with. He runs afoul of a determined social worker and the police, both determined to bring him down. They use every trick in the book to make his life hell and bring on him the wrath of his fellow pimps.Diana Sands, who was one of the top black actresses of the 50s and 60s, shined as the social worker. This was one of her last films as she died of cancer before its release. She was 39.Like Al Capone, Willie's downfall was the IRS.

Roscoe Orman is Willie D, a sad sack of a pimp who embodies the Godfather of WWF(E)'s saying "Pimpin' ain't easy". His pimp-mobile is constantly getting towed, his hoes get busted, he's getting audited, and to top it off some uppity knee-jerk liberal activist wants his bitches to unionize. It would be among the best Pimpsploitation movies, if it didn't get so damn melodramatic towards the end. Willie's pimping clothes are, in a word, Dynamite (especially this one hilarious huge hat he wears at one point). By the way, this isn't the last of Willie, oh no it ain't. He got his ass together, changed his name to Gordon R. and now he can show you how to get, how to get to Sesame Street. Hope he wasn't the one to pimp Ernie out to Bert.Best Line: (Willie in a line-up shouting about his coat) "It's Lamb!! IT'S LAMB!!!"My Grade: C Where i saw it: Black Stars