In 1974, Robert Clouse had just directed the highly revered Bruce Lee martial arts classic, “Enter the Dragon”. That film was an enormous box office success, earning a total of $400 million worldwide (which is over $2 BILLION today when adjusted for inflation). “Enter the Dragon” also starred a young Black martial artist named Jim Kelly. Clouse was so impressed with the charismatic Kelly that he cast him in his next movie, “Black Belt Jones”.

Checking off many blaxploitation boxes, “Black Belt Jones” offers up much of what you would expect from a wild genre mash-up of action, comedy, crime thriller, and of course kung-fu. It features much of what made blaxploitation films popular during their time. But it’s also hampered by their weaknesses which in this case are hard to look past despite the fun.

Kelly plays the titular Black Belt Jones, an expert martial artist thrust into a conflict between an old friend and the Mafia. Jones’ mentor, Wesley “Papa” Byrd (played by the great Scatman Crothers) runs Black Byrd Karate School. It’s located on a small patch of land in the middle of the city that the Mafia is desperate to get their hands on.

After local mob leader Don Steffano (Andre Philippe) gets wind that the city government is planning on building a huge civic center in the area, he begins gobbling up all the property in the neighborhood. He’s able to get everything but the karate school. So the Don sends a local drug dealer named Pinky (Malik Carter) to strong-arm Papa into selling his land. But when Pinky accidentally kills Papa, Black Belt Jones is forced to get involved.

Adding an extra wrinkle is Sydney Frazier (Gloria Hendry), Papa’s estranged daughter who comes into town determined to pay back those who killed her father. Hendry adds some spice to the story, portraying a young woman who is more than capable of taking care of herself. She and Kelly have some fun chemistry together. At least until Clouse overplays it by throwing together a hopelessly corny cat-and-mouse game on the beach. It’s meant to be romantic but instead is comically mawkish.

“Black Belt Jones” has some big laughs, often at unexpected moments. And while the screenplay doesn’t always help him, Jim Kelly is a fun and often charismatic lead. But the hokiness is hard to overlook, and even the most forgiving eye will have a hard time looking past the movie’s obvious limitations. Genre fans like myself will find something to enjoy. But there are plenty of better films for those wanting to dip their toes into the world of blaxploitation.