Film Review: Solomon King (1974)

In 1974, the team of Sal Watts and Jack Bomay set out to make an independent blaxploitation film in Oakland, Calif. — and they almost succeeded. Nearly 50 years later, the footage they shot has been discovered, restored, remastered, and re-released with all the gusto the pair deserves.

Starring Watts in the titular role, Solomon King will likely never be mistaken for “good cinema,” but the enthusiasm and passion with which it was made is so infectious, you might just love it. Despite its half-baked plot, nonsensical action sequences, hokey villains, and sometimes overlong and unnecessary scene-chewing, Solomon King is so damned entertaining it surely would have given Rudy Ray Moore’s 1975 standard-bearer Dolemite a run for its money had it been given a proper release upon completion. With lines like “Sit down and listen to me with your goat-smellin’ ass,” delivered with all the straight-faced sincerity in the world, you know you’ve got not only something special on your hands, but a film that should be celebrated for, if nothing else, its radically immovable style.

Solomon King might seem ridiculous to those seeking sophistication, but this bold, unflinching, and utterly D.I.Y. production has merits that stretch far beyond mere polish and refinement. It’s got heart, and, in this case, that’s enough for me.

Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.