Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 13, 2018

Oscar Williams' "Five on the Black Hand Side" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The biggest boss

Oscar Williams directed four films while he was active during the ‘70s and prior to receiving Fine on the Black Hand Side I had seen only two of them. Both I still own on DVD. The first film is one that I am fairly certain plenty of other collectors have seen as well. It is Hot Potato, the sequel to Black Belt Jones, again with Jim Kelly playing a tough martial arts hero who gets in a lot of trouble with some shady Asian characters after he goes to save the daughter of a prominent senator. It is basically an exotic action thriller that was produced to appeal to the same folks that would flock to see the conventional blaxploitation films. The second film is The Final Comedown which is a blaxploitation action film disguised as a political thriller. It is worth seeing because it has a very young Billy Dee Williams playing a totally brainwashed radical.

I mention all of the above because when I placed Fine on the Black Hand Side in my player I expected to see a somewhat similar to the other two films but slightly less exotic urban thriller, though just by looking at the cover of the release I knew that it would not be loaded with over-the-top action. Well, having seen the film now, I can say that I was partially right, but also partially wrong.

This film is actually a very nicely scripted comedy that uses humor to highlight a number of legit issues that African Americans faced during the period in which it was released. It does so by bringing together the contrasting views of the different members of the Brooks family and then as they begin to deconstruct them identifies their strengths and weaknesses. So the humor is essentially a façade for some interesting constructive criticism.

The film opens up as the Brooks family is getting ready for a wedding but its members can’t seem to agree precisely how the upcoming ceremony should be arranged. While different ideas are being considered, the head of the family, Mr. Brooks (a magnificent Leonard Jackson), abruptly emerges as an ignorant and domineering ‘boss’ who basically recognizes only his own voice. So encouraged by a few of her lady friends the fed-up Mrs. Brooks (Clarice Taylor) finally gathers the courage to stage a revolt and then as the younger members of the family watch in dismay presents a list of demands that have to be met if her relationship with Mr. Brooks is to be preserved and the wedding allowed to happen. In the ensuing battle for dominance Mr. Brooks proudly vows not to budge an inch, but the more intense the defense of his life philosophy and views on family responsibilities becomes, the more his image begins to suffer.

It is really easy to tell that Williams wasn’t aiming to deliver a powerful eye-opener, but the honesty with which it frames the rivaling sides actually does produce some rather revelatory material. Of course, since the early ‘70s family dynamics have drastically evolved and now some of the more accurate observations about the roles of the two sexes are no longer as significant, but the point is that Williams was right to focus on them he did it in a way that was both attractive and effective.

The film has a modest low-budget appearance but it actually looks less dated than the two clearly better funded action thrillers that I mentioned earlier.

Jackson is very convincing as the feisty patriarch and quite funny to watch when he struggles to contain his anger. A young Glynn Turman also has a few great scenes in which he becomes unhinged.

Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Oscar Williams' Five on the Black Hand Side arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The film looks very healthy even though it is easy to see that the release is sourced from an older master. What helps tremendously is the lack of compromising digital corrections, as well as the absence of any distracting age-related imperfections. Obviously, a new master would improve density and overall fluidity, but even on a larger screen the current presentation ensures very decent depth and plenty of good nuances. The color scheme is convincing. There are healthy and solid primaries complemented by a nice range of nuances. Image stability is also very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have an elaborate score, but there the dynamic intensity is surprisingly strong. On the the other hand, there is some small but noticeable fluctuation whenever street and other organic noises sneak in, so don't be surprised if occasionally you notice some unevenness. This is just how the original soundtrack was created. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Five on the Black Hand Side. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Five on the Black Hand Side Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Something tells me that the late Leonard Jackson did not do a whole lot of preparation for the role of Mr. Brooks because his 'resistance' throughout Five on the Black Hand Side really does not look like good acting -- it actually seems real. Indeed, the old man could not have been more authentic and funnier, and as a result pretty much the entire film works because of him. Olive Films' new release is sourced from a pre-existing but very nice master and will likely remain the definitive presentation of this film on the home video market. RECOMMENDED.