Hammer

R

1972

1h 32m

Crime

Drama

List

Reviews

27%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

Hotheaded laborer B.J. Hammer (Fred Williamson) can't go long without ending up in a fight, and, after he comes out on top in a particularly impressive workplace scuffle, word of his brawling skills makes its way to Davis (Bernie Hamilton), a top boxing manager. Hammer is hired by Davis and begins a lucrative career in the ring, only to find out that his new employer wants him to throw a fight and take part in other illicit activities. Hammer reacts to this news violently, and the feud is on.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent Hammer on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Robert Sullivan

Los Angeles Free Press

The suspense created is comparable to a bowl of warm Jello.

Jan 3, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Carlos I

Not the most thrilling for a blaxploitation flick, but it's still super fun thanks to a charismatic lead performance from Williamson, and a dope soundtrack.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

delysid d

fred made SOOO many movies back in the 70s. none of them were especially good. in this one he plays a boxer. its a solid movie but nothing to shout about

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Directed by Bruce Clark (The Ski Bum (1971) and Galaxy of Terror (1981)), and written by Charles Eric Johnson (Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973) and The Monkey Hu$tle (1976)). This blaxploitation films struck a chord with audiences upon release, with the theme of the underdog taking on corruption and the mob. The success of the film briefly made a star out of Fred Williamson, who became known as The Hammer later on. B.J. Hammer (Williamson) is a dockworker and boxer who has been able to get successful thanks to help from the Mafia, but Hammer doesn't know that. His trainer Professor (Mel Stewart) does know that, and things get dangerous when mob hoods Big Sid (Charles Lampkin) and Brenner (William Smith), tell Hammer to take a dive during the next fight. Hammer refuses, as he doesn't want to lose. Hammer calls upon Private Detective Davis (Bernie Hamilton) to help out, but Davis won't listen to Hammer's pleas. Then when Hammer's girlfriend Lois (Vonetta McGee) ends up being kidnapped by the mob, Hammer uses his boxing skills to take on the mob. It's crossed somewhere between On The Waterfront (1954) and The Harder They Fall (1956), with a little bit of what was to come in the Rocky films. But it's compelling enough, and it's the sort of thing you'd expect from a blaxploitation film, cheap but gritty.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Solid boxing themed blaxsploitation movie staring Fred Williamson that came out right at the start of the major exploitation boom in the early 70s. The story and characters were decent enough but the movie kinda felt like it was missing something towards the end. Its fairly predictable but in a good way, because its the same old boxing type movie where the underdog gets big then the big boss man wants him to throw the fight. All in all a pretty good action/boxing movie from the early 70s. If sports movies or fighting movies are something you can get into then this would be for you. If you aren't a fan of early 70s movies at all then I'd say you probably can't stomach the acting for the time period plus the 70s fashion.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A dockworker becomes a successful boxer only to discover his career is controlled by the mob. Promising start fades but Williamson is solid again. What happens to a crate of heroin that caused a fight at the docks near the start remains a mystery.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What makes a good blackexploation movie? I'v asked this question a few times and my conclusion is 1. You need a cause for your main character 2. You need a jive talking supporting cast 3. You need a cast of beautiful women who just can't resist the lead character. Hammer delivers all three but mind you it's not as slick as other movies in this genre. Hammer has its moment but more as an unintended satire than an action film as I suspect the director originally intended .

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Bruce D. Clark

Director

Fred Williamson

Brenner

Bernie Hamilton

Davis

Vonetta McGee

Lois

William Smith

Brenner

Charles Lampkin

Big Sid

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Hammer: Official Clip - Hammer Wins

2:25

Hammer: Official Clip - Waste Him

2:16

Hammer: Official Clip - Rescue Mission

1:18

Hammer: Official Clip - They Call Him the Hammer

2:00

Hammer: Official Clip - Showdown with Brenner

3:00

Hammer: Official Clip - Soar to the Moon

1:26

Hammer: Official Clip - A Soul Brother

0:45

Hammer: Official Clip - Roughhouse Gets Slammed

1:55

Hammer: Official Clip - Everybody's Controlled by Something

0:59

Hammer: Official Clip - Police Chase

1:22

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Hotheaded laborer B.J. Hammer (Fred Williamson) can't go long without ending up in a fight, and, after he comes out on top in a particularly impressive workplace scuffle, word of his brawling skills makes its way to Davis (Bernie Hamilton), a top boxing manager. Hammer is hired by Davis and begins a lucrative career in the ring, only to find out that his new employer wants him to throw a fight and take part in other illicit activities. Hammer reacts to this news violently, and the feud is on.

Director: Bruce D. Clark
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 32m

Most Popular at Home Now