Super Fly T.N.T.

1973 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Ron O'Neal


SYNOPSIS

Former New York drug dealer Priest (Ron O'Neal) is now living the high life in Italy. His only cares are his girl (Sheila Frazier) his drug habit and his weekly poker game. Priest learns of an oppressive government in a small African nation and is convinced to help the helpless citizens. While helping smuggle in arms for the people, he is captured by the government.

MY THOUGHTS

As a fan of the blaxploitation genre, I found the original Super Fly (despite its AMAZING soundtrack) to be a very lackluster film. Super Fly T.N.T. is worse.
The Priest character is an anti-hero... yet anti-heroes possess some admirable traits. Priest does not. He's a pusher and junky working for the mob with a bad attitude. In the sequel, he does NOTHING with his time before being called into service.

TNT is remarkably similar to the second Shaft sequel Shaft In Africa, released the same year. Both feature their titular character being thrust into action in Africa. While Shaft In Africa is a passable action film, Super Fly T.N.T. is horrible.

The film was directed by star, Ron O'Neal and shot in Italy and Africa, yet you would never know it. When you have the opportunity to film on-location you can show off your surroundings, it adds so much to the film's realism. O'Neal doesn't do this at all. It could have been shot on a studio back lot for the same effect he goes for here. At many points, the film is so dark, you cannot see what is going on. This is especially evident when Priest is captured and is planning his escape in his cell. O'Neal is a very sub-par director and would only helm one other film.

Alex Haley wrote the screenplay. The author of Roots is more than a competent writer, so its a wonder how this script was such a muddled mess. The beginning of the film contains some finely written scenes like Priest and his girl going to dinner with Robert Guillaume and his date. The dialogue seems like real life and the film briefly comes alive. Once the scene is over, Guillaume's character and his date disappear from the rest of the film. This and the establishing poker match add little to the plot. The pivotal character of Dr. Sonko (Roscoe Lee Browne) is introduced early on, but we don't find out what he's all about until Priest does... 30 minutes into the film.
That first half hour is completely lacking any action or drama... or even a point. Apart from the dinner scene, it drags on at a snail's pace.

The middle of the film also lacks little action or drama until Priest is captured and tortured.

The film ends abruptly. Priest escapes capture and makes it back to Italy. We never find out if Priest's sacrifices helped at all. Did the weapons made it to the people? If they did, did the weapons help at all to overthrow the government?
Plus, Priest entered the African nation without a passport, yet was able to fly back on an airline. He might have received help from Sonko... but who knows.

I wonder if the filmmakers ran out of money and didn't film a chunk of the screenplay, resulting in this crap fest.

Super Fly T.N.T. is probably best remembered by being name-dropped in Pulp Fiction. Samuel L. Jackson's Jules proclaims "Every time my fingers touch brain I'm Super Fly T.N.T., I'm the Guns Of The Navarone." Why would he insult himself like that?

The film is not available on DVD.