A team of American special agents lead by super smooth ace martial artist Jones (the ever cool Jim Kelly) travel across Thailand to rescue June (Judith Brown sporting in atrociously overdone Southern accent), the daughter of a U.S. senator who's been abducted by the evil Rangoon (Sam Hiona doing a third-rate Fu Manchu impression). Writer/director Oscar Williams, who previously penned the lowdown funky blaxploitation winners "Black Belt Jones" and "Truck Turner," really fumbles the ball with this disappointingly mild and plodding PG-rated clunker: the sluggish pace, meandering narrative, and especially lots of extremely dumb and forced attempts at painfully unfunny and witless humor doom this baby to outright mediocrity. The cast struggle gamely with the subpar material: Kelly just about manages to retain his dignity throughout, the lovely and personable Irene Tsu adds some spark and spunk as feisty lady cop Pam, Geoffrey Binney is okay as the hip Joe Chicago, and Brown ain't half bad in a second role as the fetching and duplicitous femme fatale Leslie. However, George Memmoli is simply insufferable as the White Rhino, an obnoxious bumbling fat slob comic relief character who's supposed to be lovable and amusing, but instead proves to be extremely irritating and unappealing. Several action set pieces like a dangerous trek down a river on a raft and a raid on a village on a bunch of rampaging elephants fail to deliver the expected thrilling pay-offs due to the fact that they are clumsily executed. A hideously sappy romantic interlude at the halfway point doesn't help matters any. Only in the surprisingly dynamic and exciting last third does this flick finally spring to life, but by then it's much too little way too late to compensate for the general tedium which preceded it. A very blah and forgettable wash-out.
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Woodyanders31 January 2010
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hypestyle24 January 2010Professional martial artist/instructor-turned-actor Jim Kelly stars in "Hot Potato". This film, released in 1975. The film is a nominal sequel to 1974's "Black Belt Jones": Here, Kelly again plays a US government agent/contractor, 'black belt' Jones, but no mention is made at all of his adventure battling Pinky & the Los Angeles Mob, so this could alternately be thought of as a prequel as well. Presumably the film was mainly meant for overseas/international audiences, as it is light on dialogue (despite the principals being American), and mostly dependent on extended fight sequences (replete with slapstick sound effects) to move the plodding plot along.
The plot-- such as it is-- involves the kidnapped adult daughter (Judith Brown) of a southern U.S. senator, who is held a fictional southeast Asian island country by a crime lord, Rangoon, (Sam Hiona). Jones is partnered with two Americans who are also martial artists, the slick-talking Chicago (Geoffrey Binney) and the potbellied Rhino (George Memmoli). A tough-talking fourth party, Thai detective (Irene Tsu), leads the rescue expedition (and guess who she falls for?) "Black Belt Jones" screenwriter Oscar Williams does double duty as writer/director here, but the film seemingly suffers. Attempts at comedy just come across as lame, as when a toy car seems to genuinely terrify a crew of indigenous henchmen, or when Rhino gets into a pick-up Sumo match with a local; A "romantic interlude" is shoehorned in just before a climactic battle, involving random fireworks, a crucified woman and a pit with two tigers.
Kelly, inexplicably paired with two bickering sidekicks, has even less dialogue here than in its predecessor. Chicago's smart-aleck front supposedly masks his pain over losing a wife and child 5 years ago; Rhino (the most obnoxious presence in the film) apparently spends his free time in eating contests with locals and trying to bed multiple women; As a "fish out of water" escapade, this film doesn't have the same impact as "Black Belt Jones" and its hip-urban-America setting. The film, shot on location in Thailand, takes advantage of the interesting visuals of the landscape, including ancient buddhist temples.
One last thing: It's a mystery just what the title 'Hot Potato' refers to, if anything: Likely just something 'clever' thought up by the filmmakers and/or the studio. -
tarbosh220001 March 2011It seems the nefarious Carter Rangoon (Hiona) has kidnapped the daughter of an American Senator (Brown) and has her held captive at his training camp for baddies somewhere in Thailand. Said Senator does the only rational thing he can do in that situation - he calls Black Belt Jones! This time around, Jones (he is simply known as "Jones" and no mention is made to his "Black Belt" status) enlists the help of comical fat guy Leonardo "Rhino" Pizzarelli (Memmoli), a competitive eater and all-around wild man, Johnny Chicago (Binney), the counterpoint to Rhino, a "hunk", if you will, and the local woman Pam (Tsu), enlisted to be their contact in Thailand. Will our mismatched team of heroes fight through an endless stream of wacky baddies, silly obstacles and childish music and sound effects to save the girl? Basically an unfunny comedy that becomes really tiresome really fast, Hot Potato is Saturday-afternoon-style fare. With its PG rating, America's Funniest Home Videos-style sound effects and cartoonish score, it might be perfect for a kid in elementary school that wants to get into martial arts cinema but can't see the more violent entries in that genre. The extended (read: filler) fight and stunt scenes are filled to the brim with slapstick and have all the edge of the fights on the 60's Batman TV show. Again, that's fine if you're a kid, but these kind of juvenile antics will grate on the nerves of adults.
While Black Belt Jones (1974) is basically beloved by everyone that's seen it, and deservedly so because it has a certain verve, Hot Potato is just self-conscious. Yes, Kelly makes some funny faces, and there are some beautiful locations, shot very well in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and it is a professional, Warner Brothers production, but it is watered-down mainstream Kung Fu for the masses. No characters are even remotely developed and it becomes a slog at a certain point. It's a childish adventure picture, and while it is somewhat amusing to see people getting kicked, punched, maimed, and in some cases presumably killed in the name of high-spirits comedy and fun, somehow it never really gels or works.
If you ever get a hold of Hot Potato, simply fast forward to the end credits, as there is a montage of the "best" scenes in the movie. Seeing these highlights, you will get the same, if not a better effect as watching the movie and you will save about 90 minutes. Although you might miss the legendary Yuen Biao if you do. But then again, it's easy to miss him if you watch the movie straight through.
Anyone who wants their fond memories of Black Belt Jones unsullied should steer clear of Hot Potato.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com -
Jim Kelly was super cool in 'Enter The Dragon' fighting alongside Bruce Lee and John Saxon. He was even enjoyable in his first starring vehicle 'Black Belt Jones' directed by Robert Clouse, who also directed E.T.D. But 'Hot Potato', supposedly the sequel to 'Black Belt Jones', is the pits. Clouse was no fool, he jumped ship. The direction is handled instead by screenwriter Oscar Williams who wrote Jones and the Isaac Hayes vehicle 'Truck Turner'. Well the script stinks on this one and Williams shows little talent as a director, so Kelly is behind the eight ball from the word go. The plot, which is very thin and basically just an excuse for some okay fights and lots of painfully unfunny gags, see Jones enlisted to free the daughter of an American Senator (Judith Brown) who has been kidnapped by a Thai criminal mastermind (Sam Hiona). He is helped by his buddy Chicago (Geoffrey Binney), a local female cop (Irene Tsu), and overweight buffoon "the white Rhino" (George Memmoli). Rhino is responsible for almost all the so-called comedy which really drags the movie down. He plays an obnoxious fat guy ala John Belushi/Chris Farley. And just so we know it's supposed to be funny the soundtrack is full of "amusing" music and sound effects. The sad thing is that Rhino is played by the late Memmoli, an actor who worked with Scorsese, De Palma and Schrader and showed a lot of comic (and dramatic) talent in their movies. But he's just awful in 'Hot Potato'. In fact EVERYTHING is just awful in 'Hot Potato! It's absolute garbage that is a chore to sit through. Steer clear of this one!
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I'm sorry. Maybe I just expected too much after seeing Black Belt Jones. Maybe I expected there to be less of what the filmmakers call "comedy". I could barely stand to watch it. I would have to say that I think this movie is on the top ten of my least favorite films ever.
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gridoon8 January 2002This "sort of" a sequel to "Black Belt Jones" (Jim Kelly's character is referred to merely as "Jones") is far inferior. The comedy is lame, the acting mediocre and the dialogue often very bad. But there is a continuous stream of action running through the film, and Kelly shows once again that he had the stuff to be a martial-arts star (although his career was fairly brief). Plus, there are the colorful exotic locations that help you keep watching even the worst scenes. (**)
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Eegah Guy21 February 2001This film isn't as good as earlier Kelly flicks like ENTER THE DRAGON and THREE THE HARD WAY and also not as deliriously bad as later films like Al Adamson's BLACK SAMURAI and DEATH DIMENSION. This film does have some good fight choreography but is bogged down by slapstick comedy and goofy sound effects. Was this film meant to be a parody or was it an accident?
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GOWBTW17 September 2010After the success of "Black Belt Jones", Jim Kelly does the sequel of it called "Hot Potato". However, the result isn't what I call a follow-up success. This movie is downright corny and Jackie Chanish. The sound-effects are annoying and silly. It's like looking at a live cartoon almost. This time Jones(Kelly) is in Thailand, looking for a daughter of an US Senator. He doesn't work alone he's got a new sidekick, and a over-sized fighter named Rhino(George Memmoli). The trio work with an uncooperative inspector(Irene Tsu), but they all get the job done. They meet with the impostor who later ends up helping them ge5t the real deal back from the warlord. Everyone fights off the army with their martial arts skills, it's funny when Rhino took on the big opponent. To me, this is one bad movie that should have been improved completely. I mean ever martial art movie shouldn't be all violent, it should be fun which it is. More action and less cheese. But without the cheese factor, it would be a completely boring film. If you enjoy the Jackie Chan films, enjoy this movie on your own terms. I did! 2 out of 5 stars!
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After a Senator's daughter by the name of "June Dunbar" (Judith Brown) is kidnapped by an Asian warlord named "Carter Rangoon" (Sam Hiona) and scheduled to be executed if the United States doesn't comply with his demands, two agents "Jones" (Jim Kelly) and "Johnny Chicago" (Geoffery Binney) are sent in to rescue her. To do this they need the assistance of the local police and "Detective Sergeant Pam Varaje" (Irene Tsu) is assigned this important task. However, what none of them take into consideration is how crafty Carter Rangoon can be when necessary. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I thought that Jim Kelly performed adequately enough for the most part. Unfortunately, the rather weak attempts at comedy involving a particular character nicknamed "Rhino" (George Memmoli) and the poor script proved too much and ruined what could have been a decent film. That said, I don't consider this to be a good martial arts film by any standard and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.
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zetes21 February 2010Supposedly a follow-up to Jim Kelly's starring vehicle Black Belt Jones, but I only think that was an afterthought by the marketing department. Well, Kelly does play a guy named Jones. He's never once called "Black Belt". Maybe they were just unsure of whether Black Belt Jones was going to be a hit or not. Really, Hot Potato isn't even the same genre. It is a martial arts action flick, but there's not the smallest element of blaxploitation in it. Kelly's the only black person in the film. In it he hooks up with three other action heroes, Irene Tsu, Geoffrey Binney and George Memmoli to save a senator's daughter from her captors in Southeast Asia (the film was shot entirely in Thailand, and, while I don't think the name of the country is specifically mentioned in the film, the culture is most definitely Thai). Much like Black Belt Jones, the action is horribly directed, and the comedy bits are lame as all Hell (the film tries to force the doughy Memmoli on the unsuspecting audience as a comic action star, and his bits are particularly groan-inducing), but it's still amusing in the way the best bad movies are. Can't say I enjoy this nearly as much as Black Belt Jones, but it was worth seeing. I got this and BBJ in an awesome four pack of movies entitled "Urban Action Movies". One of the great buys! The other two movies, another of which stars Jim Kelly (along with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson!), look awesome, too.
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dworldeater5 December 2012I love Jim Kelly. He convinced me from viewing Enter The Dragon and Black Belt Jones that, he is one of the coolest dudes on the planet. This poor excuse of a film is a strong candidate for worst movie ever . Hot Potatoe was billed as a sequel to blaxsploitation classic Black Belt Jones . Besides the return of Kelly of the Black Belt Jones character , this bears no resemblance to the original film . Lame and unfunny across the board . Every aspect of this movie is bad. Even the fights suck, which is a shame considering Jim Kelly 's skills as martial artist and that he was in Enter The Dragon . Which is the most crucial and classic martial arts movie of all time ! His sidekick Rhino was painfully annoying . Hot Potatoe is one movie that I feel has no entertainment or artistic value at all. This is one serious bummer and one pile of crap all around.
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hagg26 November 1998The follow up to Black Belt Jones! starring the great Jim Kelly!!!This 70's flick has it all! Kung-fu!Comedy!The zamboni driver from Rocky! nice scenery and of course Jim Kelly! The plot deals with a team sent to Europe by the U.S Government to rescue a Senator's daughter. A must for all fans of Jim Kelly and B-grade action flicks.
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I expected this to be a good action movie since it has Jim Kelly in it, it's more of a comedy with a few fights that would even make the fans of Bud Spencer say like... is this a fight. It's just people clowning around, there's no tension. Nothing, it bothered me for the most of the time that Jim Kelly just walks around. And when it's his turn it never gets spectaculair, even the enemies don't put up a decent fight. I say it like it is, it's a kids movie. I admit there were a few funny scenes but that's it. Go watch Black Belt Jones instead.
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Wizard-815 September 2000Try as I might, I can't think of anything positive to say about HOT POTATO. Though filmed on location, each setting looks dull to the eye. The action is slow, clunky, and poorly choreographed. Robert Clouse shows again that his acclaimed direction of ENTER THE DRAGON was either a fluke or that he got help from Bruce Lee. The worst thing of all about the movie are the attempts at comic relief, which are so slapstick and in your face, I got angry. If you ever wondered why Jim Kelly never became a star, watch this movie - which is the *only* reason it ever should be viewed. Otherwise, avoid!
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kevin_robbins22 July 2022Hot Potato (1976) is a movie that I recently came across on Tubi and decided to give a shot. The storyline follows a private investigator who is hired to track down an ambassador's daughter that has been kidnapped and taken to Thailand. He will need to infiltrate the gang who kidnapped her, rescue her and fight his way back to America.
This movie is written and directed by Oscar Williams (Death Drug) and stars Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon), George Memmoli (Mean Streets), Judith Brown (The Big Doll House), Irene Tsu (Airport 1975) and Ching-Ying Lam (The Prodigal Son).
The best part of this movie are the settings and backdrops. Unfortunately both the writing for the storyline and dialogue were awful as were the fight scenes and choreography. There is a fat man that is supposed to be funny but didn't work out as intended. It's unfortunate so much of this is average to bad as it is easy to root for Jim Kelly.
Overall this is a disappointing addition to the blaxploitation genre that I would score a 3/10 and recommend skipping. -
mack31756 April 2003This was probably meant to go down has bad movies we love. I just rented this movie hoping it would have been an amusing martial arts movie. What I got instead was silly brainless acting, and fight scenes that look almost funny instead of exciting. Jim Kelly(Williams from Enter The Dragon) don't get me wrong is a awesome martial artists, did'nt look much over when desided to do this movie. Some of his fight scenes were good. But the rest makes you miss Bruce Lee. You wonder why he did'nt get to be a big star like Chuck Norris. But most of the film is enjoyable. For viewers if you are looking for a funny Kung Fu film. Next to Kung Pow, you'll love this one.
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kumabear661 August 2004This movie has little to redeem it. The fight choreography stinks the comedy stinks, the dialogue stinks. The main reason me and mine rented this was to see all of our favorite Hong Kong stunt men, who appear in this film. Not only is Billy Chan, Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying in it you will also see a lot of Eric Tsang, Chan Lung and Mung Hoi among others. All I can say is, they must have really needed that paycheck! Never have I seen so many great men used so shamefully! The 5 different costumes they were forced to wear have to be seen to be believed! ( The jester-like costumes were my personal favorite!) We laughed ourselves silly! So if you want to see Lam Ching Ying in a leopard print jungle outfit and short shorts, this is film for you!