Not Dolemite, DYNAMITE!

Willie Dynamite (1974)
Director- Gilbert Moses
Starring- Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala

A powerful pimp named Willie Dynamite (Orman) tries to maintain his #1 status around town, but zealous police efforts make his business suffer greatly. Things are further complicated for him when Cora (Sands), a former prostitute-turned social worker, makes contact with his girls and tries to convince them to leave the business.

The story begins a bit shallow, but as it moves forward, Willie's personality comes out and he seems to actually be an okay guy--until you're reminded of the fact that he's a business-minded pimp who slaps his girls around. I like how this perception can shift so rapidly, especially when he's visiting his mother and sister, and we see an utterly normal side to him (at least as normal as 70's clothes can make you look, anyway).

The story shifts dramatically when one of his young models tries to quit to become a model, and ends up being disfigured in a fight. Willie is brought to trial, and his mother and sister see him for the pimp he is. You can actually see the shame he's feeling, seeing their reactions.

Willie is the vilian in this story, but he also is the protagonist who decides to make a change in his life. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him the hero of the story, that would actually be Cora. She comes off as a strong woman who has seen and been caught up in some bad things in her past, but has managed to come through it with a lot of street smarts. One detects some remaining feelings for Willie, however, and this puts an immense strain on her relationship with her boyfriend, the DA.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was an excellent story going on here, and it wasn't hard to see through all the feathers and fur coats and pimpin' cadillacs to find it.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.