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Dolemite

R Released Apr 26, 1975 1h 30m Action Comedy List
57% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A wrongly jailed man (Rudy Ray Moore) and his female kung-fu friends seek vengeance on the rival (D'Urville Martin) who put him away.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Simon Abrams RogerEbert.com Moore's swagger...He's not much of an actor, but he is charming as heck, and comfortable in his character's oily skin. Aug 1, 2018 Full Review Odie Henderson RogerEbert.com Dolemite is a good entry point for those curious about Rudy Ray Moore's cinematic output. Aug 1, 2018 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Laughably wooden performances are prominent amongst the supporting cast, and the only real bright spot is Moore, who despite being inarticulate and portly, demands attention. Rated: 2/5 Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Hunter Lanier Film Threat Even with its amateurish presentation and off-kilter action, Dolemite is far more fun than a good many of the high-stakes, high-budget films that the big studios roll out every month or so. Rated: 8/10 Aug 1, 2018 Full Review John Higgins Starburst To concentrate on the negatives would be going against what makes this film so special. Rated: 6/10 Jul 31, 2018 Full Review Phil Hall Cinema Crazed Who needs CGI idols when you have this fresh, profane dynamo of a superstar? Rated: 3/5 Dec 1, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (316) audience reviews
CodyZamboni Z Over the top, campy, With laughably amateurish kung fu fight scenes, Lots of sudden bizarre editing cuts, but still watchable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Khalan C It's so cheesy and ridiculous, you just have to love it's charm. Plus Rudy Ray Moore shows he can put on an entertaining movie despite it's huge flaws and dated references. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/25/23 Full Review Jens B This plays out like more light-hearted and less competently made version of flicks like "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown". Dolemite probably the most sympathetic pimp you'll ever meet. He would be the bad guy in a Pam Grier movie, though. Classic kung fu-poetic monologue-groovy music-action flick! Good fun! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/26/23 Full Review Wayne K Rudy Ray Moore is a veritable legend in the genre of Blaxploitation, with the comedy character he created exemplifying the traits that made the gerne so special and beloved. As part of my research into a podcast episode on the 2019 film Dolemite Is My Name, one of my favourite films of the year, I decided to check out the original Dolemite flick from 1975. While the story behind it is fascinating and truly inspirational, the film itself, isn't. It has its moments, and Moore feels like he was born to play such a character, but the film is a few splashes of excellence in an ocean of tedium. The films limitations are clear, including poor staging, bad sound quality and sledgehammer editing, among others. These can be fun to notice, but they're often unavoidable consequences of making a movie on a limited budget. But the central storyline itself is rarely engaging, and there's so much boring downtime and pointless filler that I had a hard time concentrating on it. Musical numbers, repetitive scenes of talking, discussions with crooked cops and dodgy priests. Even though it's only an hour and 29 minutes it feels way longer, and the ending is so abrupt that you'd swear that was the point where the money well completely dried up. It's better to watch it as an artefact of cinema rather than as a singular piece of entertainment, because as the latter, it fails seriously short. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/01/23 Full Review Chris G 1ya- A comeback showcase for Eddie Murphy where he has to reign in his natural charisma for the role in tightly directed and packed the the brim with notable actors of color to tell the story of a man that genuinely created his own fame. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/27/22 Full Review Audience Member This might a low budget, but the comedy is pure gold! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dolemite

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Movie Info

Synopsis A wrongly jailed man (Rudy Ray Moore) and his female kung-fu friends seek vengeance on the rival (D'Urville Martin) who put him away.
Director
D'Urville Martin
Screenwriter
Jerry Jones, Rudy Ray Moore
Distributor
Xenon Entertainment Group, Dimension Pictures Inc.
Production Co
Comedian Intl Enterprise Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 3, 2018
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Mono