Micah Lloyd
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
dworldeater
I 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.
Comeuppance Reviews
It 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
mack3175
This 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.
hagg
The 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.
