Steve Adkins – Google

"The mob has never seen anything like Sugar Hill and her zombie hit men." And neither have you unless you have seen 1974's Blaxploitation classic, "Sugar Hill." On the surface, Sugar Hill is a simple tale of revenge with all the hallmarks of the genre. (Bad dialogue, bad acting, and meager budget), but Sugar Hill manages to overcome these hurdles. First, the cast, while sprinkled with some sub-par actors, is strong enough to save the day. Marki Bey as Diana "Sugar Hill" has the looks to fill the bill, and nearly the chops to make the dialogue believable. In her defense, nobody could have done much better with the script she was handed. Robert Quarry, as white mob boss Morgan (no first name), is on hand as the hissable villain who orders Sugar's man killed to steal his nightclub. His gang is led by "Fabulous" played by Charles Robinson, who went on to play "Mac" on TV's "Night Court." Zara Cully, best known as Mama Jefferson on "The Jeffersons", is effectively creepy as Mama Maitresse, the voodoo high priestess who summons Baron Samedi to exact Sugar Hill's revenge on the mob. But the real star here is Don Pedro Colley as Baron Samedi, the voodoo god. Colley is absolutely over the top and steals every scene that he appears in. His Baron Samedi should have become a horror movie icon. He is that good in this film. Second, while the plot trods along to its inevitable conclusion, Sugar Hill never gets boring along the way. It's not at all scary and could have more explicit death scenes, but it is a fun film to watch. In the right hands, a remake of Sugar Hill could be a fine horror film, but until then, the 1974 gem will more than suffice.

The artwork on the DVD box would lead you to believe that Citizen X is another generic hack and slash flick, but it is far from that. Citizen X is a character study within the true story of the hunt for a serial killer in the Soviet Union. Stephen Rea is brilliant and Donald Sutherland has never been better. Citizen X deserved a theatrical release, and if it had been released to theaters, it is easy to imagine that it might have won at least a couple of Academy Awards. Ignore the advertising and watch Citizen X. You will discover a gem.

Make no mistake, watching When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? is like seeing an auto wreck. It is horrifying, but you just can't look away. It is mean spirited, brutal and ugly on a psychological level, and you know early on, it isn't going to turn out well. Marjoe Gortner, a former child evangelist turned actor never showed any indication that he had the chops to carry a serious role in a film, but he does here. Gortner carries this film, and he is perfect in the role of a psychotic Vietnam veteran who robs a New Mexico diner on a Sunday morning. You likely will love this movie or hate it, and your opinion either way will be justified, but you won't forget it.