One Down, Two to Go (1982)

Director: Fred Williamson
Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Jim Kelly

Synopsis:
When a martial arts coach and fight promoter discover a high-stakes tournament has been rigged against them by gangsters, they call in some help to settle the score.

Impressions:
We not only have the power trio of Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and Jim Kelly from Three the Hard Way and Take a Hard Ride but also Richard Roundtree to round out a quartet of blaxploitation kings. It's unfortunate that for plot reasons we don't get to see all four in action together. Jim Kelly is underutilized but he does at least get one decent fight scene. The final shootout is quite good as well. As for the rest of the film, it's more of a mixed bag. There are moments of unintentional(?) hilarity that keep you going. The soundtrack isn't amazing, but I did enjoy the one song with the chipmunk voices. I also have to comment that the sheriff is one of the most lenient lawmen in all of film. I do like that one of the motivations for this film was Fred Williamson wanting to give his fellow actors work, but I think the finished product would be stronger if he hadn't stuck himself with wearing so many hats. While I can't give it that strong of a recommendation, I think it's worth a watch for the novelty of having these four powerhouses together in a single movie if nothing else.

Rating:
Watch It