Bucktown (film)

Plot

Fred Williamson stars as Duke Johnson, a man who arrives in Bucktown to bury his brother, a bar owner who was killed after refusing to pay crooked cops for protection. After arriving to Bucktown, he realize he needs help after being threatened himself. Duke calls his friend Roy (Thalmus Rasulala) and his gang to come and help, after arriving Roy's gang decided to take over the town. In order to gain control, Duke has to fight off Roy's gang all by himself.

Cast

Music

The film's score was written by Johnny Pate, and its main theme sung by Luther Rabb. The soundtrack was released by American International Records.

Reception

The New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby gave the film a negative review, calling it "really bad" and "both silly and vicious," though he praised the performances of Williamson and Grier, saying the two "display enough of their own private wit to save the movie from seeming to be quite the mess it is."

In a 2012 interview, director Arthur Marks describes the film as "a big success," noting that Samuel Arkoff's American International Pictures saw the film and wanted to distribute it (Marks had previously distributed through his own General Film Corporation). He claims, "it made back its initial cost very quickly, and played every inner-city in the North. It was making --playing the State Lake Theater in Chicago-- at [sic] $60,000 and 70,000 a week." Mark's work with AIP on the film led to their distributing his subsequent films.