TNT Jackson

I don't remember when Black Belt Jones came out, but I have to wonder if it's not responsible for movies like TNT Jackson. If a movie tailor-made for a topless Kung Fu scene isn't the pinnacle of blaxploitation I'd like to hear what is.

A girl that calls herself TNT shows up in Hong Kong looking for her brother. The poor guy has been Kung Fu'ed to death by a guy that comes off like an evil Jim Kelly (though without as much style). Now the guy as the hots for TNT so she uses him to figure out what happened to her brother.

Meanwhile, the local drug lord keeps getting ripped off. Every time there's a drug deal someone takes it for themselves usually with a stack of bodies in his wake. The big boss thinks TNT is involved and threatens to burn her boobies with a cigar as retribution. Good thing this girl knows her Kung Fu.

At least the character of TNT knows Kung Fu. In reality her fight scenes rely on editing and camera tricks to try to make her moves look impressive. Some of her scenes are so bad they are funny. That's not to say that there aren't some marginally OK moves elsewhere in the movie. The evil Jim Kelly and a couple of others look like they might really know a little about what they're doing, but there's a reason you've heard of Chuck Norris but have never seen an action movie career evolve for the actors in TNT Jackson.

The story is laughable. There are so many problems that if I try to explain them to you I don't think you'd take me seriously. I'll just use the notion that TNT is believed to be responsible for the drug heists. There is not one shred of evidence to support for the idea that she's responsible for the rip-offs yet the thugs act like they've all but caught her red handed. They don't even bother to investigate anyone else. Of course, by them suspecting her the door opens for her to have many a fight scene with them, but just a teensy tiny bit of support for their suspicions would go a long way.

The acting and dialogue follow suit. There's just nothing in this movie to save it from ridicule. The only thing really good is that it's amusingly bad. Sometimes a movie can be annoyingly bad, but this one is kind of fun to watch if only for the absurdity of it all.

MORALITY:

I wasn't joking about the topless Kung Fu scene. TNT has a whole fight sequence wearing nothing but a G string. There are a few other nude scenes including a strip show, a guy molesting a girl, and TNT getting busy with the guy she wants to kill.

While there is a lot fighting most of it is not graphic or bloody. There are a few exceptions mostly at the very beginning and end.

The strong language is pretty bad throughout.

SPIRITUALITY:

Murderous drug lords deserve to have their butts beaten.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Check this one out only if you get a kick out of blaxploitation action or amusingly bad action. There's nothing in the story, acting, or action that makes this something you must see.

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