|
User
Reviews 1
Approval 75%
Soundoffs 29
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 226
Album Edits 65
Album Ratings 1100
Objectivity 77%
Last Active 12-14-22 8:01 pm
Joined 06-26-21
Review Comments 1,019
| Black Samson - Have you seen the movies?
It's nothing new for the Wu-Tang Clan to have movie references in their album and song titles. Even their debut referenced both, Enter the Dragon and The 36 Chambers of the Shaolin.
Their upcoming album Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman continues that with lots of song titles that reference different Blacksploitation and Wǔxiá films.
So, here's the question: Have you seen any of these? And if so, what do you think of them? | | 1 |  | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Black Samson (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0071226)
released: 1974
directed by: Charles Bail
Bastard Swordsman (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0078393)
released: 1983
directed by: Chun-Ku Lu
sequel: Return of the Bastard Swordsman (1984) | | 2 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Sucker Free City (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0373280)
released: 2004
directed by: Spike Lee
despite being directed by famous director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Blackkklansman), this tv movie seems to be relatively unknown. It was actually supposed to be the pilot for a tv series, but it wasn't picked up. | | 3 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Mandingo (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0073349)
released: 1975
directed by: Richard Fleischer (20.000 Leagues Under the Sea [1954], Soylent Green, Red Sonja)
sequel: Drum (1976) | | 4 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Claudine (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0071334)
released: 1974
directed by: John Berry
James Earl Jones, who was the voice of Darth Vader (Star Wars) and Mufasa (Lion King) and played Thulsa Doom in Conan, the Barbarian, is in this film! | | 5 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Shaolin vs. Lama (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0086304)
released: 1983
directede by: Tso Nam Lee
the English dub was sampled on GZA's song Shadowboxin' | | 6 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Executioners from Shaolin (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0076168)
released: 1977
directed by: Chia-Liang Liu
sequels: Abbot of Shaolin/A Slice of Death (1979), Clan of the White Lotus/Fists of the White Lotus (1980)
this film features Lo Lieh as Pai Mei. His look and performance would later inspire Gordon Liu's portrayal of the character in Kill Bill Vol. 2
the English dub was sampled on Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F* Wit | | 7 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Cleopatra Jones (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0069890)
released: 1973
directed by: Jack Starrett
sequel: Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975)
from the imdb trivia for the film Coffy (1973): "American-International Pictures lost the chance to make Cleopatra Jones and made this film [Coffy] instead, which ended up grossing more money in spite of a smaller budget."
the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker project Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) featured a fake trailer for a film called Cleopatra Schwartz, as a parody of this film | | 8 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Warriors Two (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0078517)
released: 1978
directed by: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
director/actor Sammo Hung is a former classmate of Jackie Chan and, just like Jackie, considered a legend in the world of martial arts films. His other works include several Jackie Chan films (Wheels on Meals, Project A, Dragons Forever, Mr. Nice Guy), the first two IP Man films (credited as action director), Kung Fu Hustle (additional action choreography), Kill Zone (action choreographer/actor), Around the World in 80 Days (actor), Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (actor) and too much more to list it all!
Cooley High (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0072820)
released: 1975
directed by: Michael Schultz | | 9 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Let's Do it Again (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0073282)
released: 1975
directed by: Sidney Poitier
prequel: Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
sequel: A Piece of the Action (1977)
director Sidney Poitier is better known as an actor, as he played roles in many calssic films such as The Defiant Ones, In the Heat of the Night and Lilies of the Field (which he won an acadamy award for, making him the first black man to ever win the award for best actor) | | 10 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Dolemite (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0072895)
released: 1975
directed by: D'Urville Martin
sequels: The Human Tornado (1976), The Return of Dolemite (2002)
most popular role of Rudy Ray Moore. There is a Netflix biopic about Rudy, in which he is played by Eddie Murphy
the sequel Human Tornado is known to some for Rudy delivery of the line "Bitch, are you for real?" (https://youtu.be/3-qyAoF6jow?si=SnlehF9tKbJJMVew) | | 11 |  | Marvin Gaye
Trouble Man
Trouble Man (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0069414)
released: 1972
directed by: Ivan Dixon
this film is famous for it's score by Marvin Gaye, which was referenced in more popular films such as Se7en, Death Proof and The Return of the First Avenger | | 12 | | Wu-Tang and Mathematics
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman
Come Back Charleston Blue (https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0068403)
released: 1972
directed by: Mark Warren
prequel: Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
sequel: A Rage in Harlem (1991)
Legend of a Fighter https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0084105
released: 1982
directed by: Yuen Woo-Ping
this movie is a different version of the story told in the Bruce Lee film Fists of Fury (which is actually based on a real story, but Fists of Fury was the first film based on it)
Yuen Woo-Ping is another legendary movie director and fight choreographer, who has worked on films such as the first three Matrix films, Kill Bill (his stunt team played the crazy 88), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kung Fu Hustle, Forbidden Kingdom, Fist of Legend (another version of Fists of Fury, this time with Jet Li), Fearless (also another version of Fists of Fury, again with Jet Li) The Grandmaster (Wong Kar-Wai's film about Ip Man), Wing Chun (underrated film with Michelle Yeoh), Ip Man 3 & 4, Once Upon a Time in China... | |
Vercetti
03.30.25 | Took me some time to compile the infos. But as a movie fan I'm genuinely interested if anyone has scene these. Let me know.
Here's the tracklist that this is based on: https://genius.com/albums/Wu-tang-and-mathematics/Black-samson-the-bastard-swordsman | VicariousIntent
03.31.25 | Great idea for a list man, I love this and I'm very stoked for the record.
As for the movies, I've seen Bastard Swordsman and it's sequel and I remember liking both. Super over the top and wild, classic Hong Kong/Shaw Brothers stuff (and by that I mean it's colorful and has wild, over the top action)
Mandingo is pretty intense and grimey. Tarantino name-dropped it as a reference point when he was making Django Unchained and I think that gives you an idea of what this one feels like. One word I would not use to describe it is "fun" lol, but nevertheless I'm glad I saw it
Trouble Man is classic blaxploitation and is a real solid watch, lots of style and personality, a good mix of sort-of-sleazy but also fun.
I wish I had seen more of these! I've always been curious about Dolemite and the Poitier film but just never got around to em. And I love Spike Lee, like LOVE Spike Lee and I've never even heard of Sucker Free City lol so I gotta add that to my watchlist! | Vercetti
04.01.25 | Thanks for commenting.
No surprise, that Tarantino name-dropped any of these films. Personally, I've only seen Shaolin vs Lama, which was an okay wuxia film. But I'd also like to watch more of these. I've only seen very few 70's blacksploitation films (and half of them had Pam Grier in them). And I like kung-fu/martial arts films, but there are so many of them, it's tough to go through all of them. And some of these films also aren't easy to find |
|
