Trailer—The Klansman

The Klansman

Despite the obvious political incorrectness, the movie bombs in many other ways. Parts of the script appear to have been written at various times, with absolutely no sense of scenes relating to each other. While Lee Marvin has played the gruff sheriff role enough times to walk through his lines, Richard Burton stumbles and bumbles between Southern and British accents throughout. O.J. Simpson hides in trees and snipes at anything in a white robe and hood. Linda Evans, Lola Falana, and Cameron Mitchell, round out the embarrassed looking cast. What you are left with are racial stereotypes on parade, in a truly forgettable film. - MERK

There's nothing more American than racism, and there's no place more racist than the American South. In The Klansman, the age-old drama hits the fan when a black man gets accused of raping a white woman in an Alabaman town. If you actually like these types of movies (Is there anyone who actually likes these them?), this one isn't really the best out there. The music, filming, and script are very 1970s, and there's just way too many evil racist people in the movie. Pretty much every white person is super evil, throwing bad words around like candy (and I think you know which word I mean). Lee Marvin pretends to be a good guy, but if he was really good, he'd do more to help, rather than act a little corrupt in order to keep the peace. Richard Burton isn't racist, but his on-again-off-again Southern accent is pretty bad. I don't know why he was cast in this movie if he can't do the accent, but then again, Lee Marvin doesn't really put on an accent either.

A group of folks from Chicago attempting to register black people to vote come to a small town in Alabama run by the Klan. Things get out of hand and folks get killed. I watched the edited version minus the rape and castration scene. The also took out the swearing but left in the "N" word. Lee Marvin plays a sheriff attempting to keep a powder keg from exploding. OJ Simpson plays a killer of white people. I actually cheered his character until he opened his mouth. Richard Burton plays an early prototype of the super hero special ops war veteran. The situation seemed a bit over the top. The Staple Singers supplied some whack-a-da tunes.

It's odd to think that Burton was still in his 40s when he made this movie; a piece of sleazy 'social awareness', arguably in the vein of the Eurothrillers, THE KLANSMAN boasts a cast numbering Burton, Marvin, Mitchell, Lola Falana, Luciana Paluzzi, Mrs. Evans …. And Young at the helm …--after a few movies with Bronson …. So call it _blaxploitation if you wish …--it's nonetheless _blaxploitation directed by Young (the 'James Bond' director) and performed by Burton and Luciana Paluzzi among others …. Luciana Paluzzi was a Bond actress (playing Fiona Volpe); she was also one of the Femmine _insaziabili .

Awful film altogether about racial tensions in a small southern town that bring the hooded KKK out to terrorize and harrass. There is no chemistry between sheriff Lee Marvin and simple landowner Richard Burton. I don't even know why Burton is in the story, let alone the film.

What was director Young (Dr. No) thinking of taking on this project?! This is every bit as bad as I've heard. To begin with, there's the script, certainly among the worst ever written. Then there's the acting, very stereotypical of its day, except with the stars, Marvin and Burton, who clearly have no idea what they are doing here and don't really care. Then there's the anachronisms - the script belongs to the '60s, it's 5 years out of date. Then of course the morality - while the Klan is rightly to be condemned, can a black murderer be justified? Can he just be asked to leave the county as the sheriff does here? Ridiculous. And then there's the "action" climax - confusing and improbable. Was Young high when he did this? I can't think of any other excuse. Bad when not just awful.