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Customer Reviews of Cleopatra Jones

This Cleo Don't Use No Tarot Cards
Tamara Dobson is no Pam Grier, but she's pretty sexy, and she'll smack the taste right out of your mouth too. As Cleopatra Jones, she's a special agent on a quest to wipe drugs and drug dealers off the face of the planet. She pisses off drug kingpin Shelly Winters who wants her reduced to a pile of Cleopatra Bones(sorry), but Cleo is out for vengeance coz Winters messed with her rehab house as well as her man. This is a pretty cool gem from the Blaxploitation era. Cleo is a very comic bookish character. Everyone in town knows her, she has authority over the entire police department, men swoon as she walks by, she has a real telephone in her car, and she knows kung fu. She has a tendency to yell "AAAAAAH!" or "EEEEEEE-JOOOO!" every time she hits or kicks anyone. One villain is Doodlebug, a pimp-like gangster who's obsessed with his hair(In the film "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" he's the guy with the goldfish in his platform shoes that recites the poem "Bitch Better Have My Money"). He's a funny, yet creepy looking dude. Shelly Winters has made a career out of playing grating and annoying characters, and this one suits her perfectly. She's a lesbian drug lord with bright red hair and a riders crop. How a woman like this becomes a feared drug queen is anyone's guess coz she's as scary and threatening as the Three Stooges. Will Cleo kick some butt and make the streets safe again? Watch it, it's more than worth your time. Dig?

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Can't hold a candle to Grier
Whenever I think of 1970s blaxploitation films, which is probably far more often than the average moviegoer, my brain instantly kicks calls up several images of the curvaceous Pam Grier. Pam Grier--what a gal! I suspect few women can wear plaid pantsuits with flairs topped off with a three foot Afro as well as the marvelous Grier. "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown," the two Grier films that kicked the blaxploitation genre into high gear back in the early 1970s, are masterpieces that still endlessly entertain today thanks to her magnetic screen charisma. Sure, her acting chops weren't the best, but the scripts wouldn't win any awards either. Blaxploitation succeeded for several reasons, the most important of which was showing African-American characters fighting to defeat racist and corrupt social institutions on behalf of all citizens. Another element key to the triumph of this intriguing genre is somewhat seedier: the action sequences in these films drew in viewers of all races who hungered for over the top violence delivered in a raw, no holds barred manner. Predictably, the appeal of these low budget films had everyone jumping on the bandwagon for their piece of the pie. Cue "Cleopatra Jones." <
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>"Jones" is a different creature altogether, an anomaly in blaxploitation in that it carries a 'PG' rating and its main character works inside the system. Many of the themes, however, are the same. Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson) is a globetrotting government agent with a penchant for fine clothes and finer cars. The film opens with her overseeing the destruction of several poppy fields overseas, poppy fields that supply a lot of the heroin that finds its way back to the streets of America and into the hands of an evil woman named Mommy (Shelley Winters). Predictably, Mommy expresses dismay over Jones's latest activities and vows revenge. In order to lure Cleopatra back to the States, Mommy comes up with an interesting (and convoluted) plan involving a drug rehabilitation house run by Jones's caring boyfriend Reuben (Bernie Casey). The cops burst into the building with vague accusations about drugs on the premises and predictably find them. Of course, these crooked cops planted the narcotics at the behest of the infernal Mommy. Cleopatra swoops into town to set things straight with her Afro, an ultra cool car with weapons stashed in the door panels, and karate moves that would make Chuck Norris blanch. <
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>With the help of informant Mrs. Johnson (Esther Rolle!), a couple of kung fu toughs, and an honest cop Cleopatra prepares to kick some serious you know what. Her task won't be easy. Mommy's temper assumes legendary proportions as she screeches, threatens her underlings, and works her way through several garish wigs that may well give Cleopatra's Afro some serious competition. In no time at all Mommy is sending out waves of goons to drop the hammer on our heroine. A fairly slick car chase ensues, which Jones easily wins thanks to her souped up Corvette. An assassination attempt involving several heavily armed thugs--you've got to see their disguises to believe it--also comes to naught. What is it going to take to bring down Cleopatra Jones? A lot more than Mommy can muster, apparently. The movie closes with a battle sequence rivaling anything seen in any of the Star Wars films as Jones and Mommy, along with many underlings, square off at an auto junkyard. Of course we know who'll win before the first fist flies, but the scene is important because it's quite entertaining to watch Shelley Winters fall down. Rest assured that all will end well, the bad guys will go to jail forever, and Cleopatra will continue to bring down the baddies here and abroad. <
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>"Cleopatra Jones" is surprising in that the movie contains quite a few developed characters and some rather complex plot threads. Unfortunately, it's not a great movie in any way, shape, or form due to a number of reasons. One is Dobson's horrible acting ability; she makes an early Pam Grier performance look Oscar worthy by comparison. Moreover, her kung fu moves resemble more a series of laughably spastic movements than a serious form of martial arts. If these are the sorts of moves taught by instructors at Quantico, no wonder we're losing the war on drugs. The movie's biggest crime is shooting for a 'PG' rating, virtually assuring that the sort of gritty violence usually found in blaxploitation films is sorely missing. But there are a few positives here--well, one positive known as Shelley Winters. I've gotten a big kick out of watching this giant ham ply her trade in potboiler schlock like "What's the Matter with Helen?" and "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" and it's no different here. Winters chucks nuance out the window as the power mad Mommy, and it's a treat to watch. Although the procession of young woman through Mommy's headquarters hints at an unsavory theme that should not be in a 'PG' film, Winters nonetheless carries the film. Look for Antonio Fargas in the small but critical role of Doodlebug, an employee of Mommy who rebels much to his detriment. <
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>While "Cleopatra Jones" will never hold a candle to Pam Grier's sleazy triumphs, it is a genre staple most people seem to know about. An interesting aside: Dan Ackroyd made a film in the 1980s called "Doctor Detroit" in which he stole considerable elements from this movie. The villain in that film also went by the name of Mom, and the final scene was a knock down drag out fight in (you guessed it) an auto junkyard. What goes around comes around, I guess. Sadly, the "Cleopatra Jones" DVD contains no extras, not even a trailer, and although I found the film pedestrian I would have liked to see a commentary track and maybe some interviews with the principal actors. Give this one a shot if you're interested in journeying through the hilarious world of blaxploitation. <
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Just in Praise of Dobson
I have loved this movie for a very long time, <
>and no matter what your movie tastes may be, <
>this movie is very entertaining. In this film, <
>what has always interested me most was how, <
>in 1973 of all times, a black woman was able to <
>flex so much power in a government agency. <
>Cleopatra Jones moves with such grace and <
>power you'd think the FBI worked for her. <
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>Nonetheless Tamara Dobson is a refreshing <
>alternative to the fierce and sometime maniacal <
>characters portrayed by Pam Grier. While both actresses <
>displayed power, Dobson comes across more classy <
>and refined, whereas Grier wasted no time getting <
>down and dirty. This movie is not high cinema, but <
>it is by far one of the best films of the blaxploitation genre. If you have little or no experience with the <
>genre, "Cleopatra Jones" raises the bar astronomically and <
>everything afterwards will be a staggering disapointment. <
>I wish there were more action, and the martial arts <
>sequences are laughable at best (trademark blaxploitation). <
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>This is a very fun film, not to be taken too <
>seriously. I would recommend it just for the <
>sake of watching Dobson in action. I have never <
>seen anyone else in films who is as captivating. <
>Mind you, I said captivating, not beautiful <
>(although she is that and more). Beautiful <
>actresses are a dime a dozen, but <
>how many of them could make you turn the volume <
>down completely and be content just with watching her <
>graceful movements and total control of every <
>scene. Not many. Tamara Dobson is a delight in <
>this film, and in the sequel, Cleopatra Jones and <
>the Casino of Gold. I wish she had been more <
>succesful in her acting efforts, but at least <
>this film stands as a gem of the blaxploitation era.