The black movie making boom of the 1970s produced more than two hundred films. While many of these movies have deservedly faded into obscurity, some have been accorded cult status far beyond the impact of their initial cinema release. Shaft is the obvious example, but there are other films worthy of equal attention. Have a look on the Web, or at any blaxploitation fanzine, and you'll find more pages dedicated to Black Belt Jones than practically any other black movie. What is it about Black Belt Jones that inspires such loyalty among its many fans? Why should this movie, despite its shortcomings, remain so popular after almost thirty years?

For those of you who've managed to miss this little gem hidden among the video store shelves, the title of the movie just about sums it up. It's a black action movie. It's a kung-fu movie. But somehow it's much more than that. Black Belt Jones may be a combination of the best elements from detective thriller Shaft, kung-fu movie The Chinese Connection, and Mafia classic The Godfather, but the result is more than the sum of the parts.

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