Lee Frost's grimy blaxploitation picture The Black Gestapo. Starring: Rod Perry, Charles Robinson.

I admit, I am considerably new to the blaxploitation sub-genre. I think this is the second film I've seen within the sub-genre, the first being Russ Meyer's Black Snake (1973). Thus far, I'm enjoying what it has to offer.

The Black Gestapo is essentially about a vigilante named General Ahmed (Rod Perry), who forms an inner-city "People's Army" to protect the black members of the community in Watts, Los Angeles, California, from white Mafia thugs. Ahmed is approached by his second in command Colonel Kojah (Charles Robinson), who requests permission to start a protection squad as a more direct approach to the ever increasing white threat. Ahmed gives Kojah the go-ahead to form his squad. The squad quickly turns to racketeering and prostitution, essentially putting the Mafia out of business and taking over. Now, Ahmed must put an end to the wannabe tyrant Kojah and his Black Gestapo.



The Black Gestapo is a fun bad movie, it was clearly made on the cheap with very little values (both production and moral). You got: castration, naked women, blacks dressed like Nazis and bad-ass action with a funky soundtrack accompaniment. One comically memorable scene springs instantly to mind where there appears to be some sort of comparison between the black militant group and the Nazis. The scene shows the entire group raising their first into the air and repeatedly shouting "Vengeance". To which there is an overdubbed shouting of "Sieg Heil" by the Third Reich. After reading that last line back to myself I began to imagine Nazi Germany sounding something like a barbershop quartet, who enthusiastically sing a song about victory.

Sadly, the aforementioned list of enticement is hampered somewhat by actor's inadequacies in terms believability and their lack of actual character, but when you see past that you realize that it's not all bad and that The Black Gestapo is one titillatingly entertaining picture worthy of at least one viewing from all scuzz-hounds.