Fred The Hammer Williamson is as cool as Bond as Jefferson Bolt in the first and only That Man Bolt! New to Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
The biggest crime is that there aren’t ten more adventures featuring Jefferson Bolt. As it stands That Man Bolt is a single unique entry into what would have been an amazing franchise.
Jefferson Bolt (Fred Williamson) is the man you call when you need anything safely delivered. Courier is too brutish of a word to use for the cool, suave, and very capable Bolt. British Banking Consorts have locked him away in a Hong Kong Jail. To what end? They want him to transfer a million dollars, back when it meant something, from Hong Kong to Mexico. Bolt agrees and instantly finds that they’re double-crossing him. Why is the million actually counterfeit? To what end? Bolt will get to the bottom of who’s messing with him if it’s the last thing he’ll do – it won’t be though.
It really is a shame there aren’t more adventures of Jefferson Bolt as played by The Hammer. That Man Bolt is a globe-trotting martial arts adventure film that literally was remade twenty-five years later as a Jason Statham vehicle to much success (e.g. Transporter series). The character fits Williamson like the perfectly tailored suits he wears on screen. The cool, calm, collected man that’s two steps of even the most intelligent of opponents is the type of role that Williamson is best at.
Though the film in sections feels like a TV movie as many Universal films of the era do. Those moments are few and far between. Though they do come up and are almost jarring when one compares to the shot on location in Hong Kong harbor moments or the martial arts scenes at the end of the film shot in the mountain homes of Hong Kong. Though nothing takes away from what is most important; Fred Williamson.
That Man Bolt with is a satisfying martial arts adventure in the same vein as Enter The Dragon (which was released 3 months after Dragon). The problem with both is the same; we didn’t get an entire series with their respective main characters.
The Transfer
The Brand New 2K Master is a delight. Not a single scratch or blemish during the entire runtime of the film. The sharp image does suffer a bit from that Universal Studios produced flat look that mired many films from the studio. It’s a minor quibble for a gorgeously mounted shot-on-location film – when it’s shot-on-location and not bound by the studio back lot. All in all and handsome transfer that fans will enjoy.
The Extras
They include the following;
Fred Williamson That Man Hammer
Theatrical Trailer
Fred Williamson That Man Hammer (16:01) – in this all-new interview with the That Man Bolt star and legend Fred “The Hammer” Williamson begins with his three-rule system for taking a role. Some of the other discussion points include why he wanted to take the role, the reasons why they went after Williamson for the role, his martial arts training – differences between Hong Kong training and the training he got in America, a hilarious conversation with Burt Reynolds, the production giving him money to purchase his clothes and his solution for this, where his cigar smoking came from – and the fact that he doesn’t smoke, working with Byron Webster, working with Teresa Graves, working with Jack Ging, the car under the truck stunt work – which leads to a discussion about him doing his own stunts in the film, the success of the film but the reasons why there were no sequels to this film, a great story about From Dusk Till Dawn, and much more. If anyone has heard The Hammer talk and knows his brand of off-the-cuff honesty about the industry, himself, and his movies know the good time you’re in for.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for That Man Bolt (2:32), Truck Turner (5:14), Trouble Man (2:31), The Eiger Sanction (2:50), Seven (1:12), Original Gangstas (2:15)
The Final Thought
That Man Bolt is an excellent film, Fred Williamson at his best. Kino has done a great job of bringing the film to life. Highest recommendations!!!
Fred The Hammer Williamson is as cool as Bond as Jefferson Bolt in the first and only That Man Bolt! New to Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
The biggest crime is that there aren’t ten more adventures featuring Jefferson Bolt. As it stands That Man Bolt is a single unique entry into what would have been an amazing franchise.
Jefferson Bolt (Fred Williamson) is the man you call when you need anything safely delivered. Courier is too brutish of a word to use for the cool, suave, and very capable Bolt. British Banking Consorts have locked him away in a Hong Kong Jail. To what end? They want him to transfer a million dollars, back when it meant something, from Hong Kong to Mexico. Bolt agrees and instantly finds that they’re double-crossing him. Why is the million actually counterfeit? To what end? Bolt will get to the bottom of who’s messing with him if it’s the last thing he’ll do – it won’t be though.
It really is a shame there aren’t more adventures of Jefferson Bolt as played by The Hammer. That Man Bolt is a globe-trotting martial arts adventure film that literally was remade twenty-five years later as a Jason Statham vehicle to much success (e.g. Transporter series). The character fits Williamson like the perfectly tailored suits he wears on screen. The cool, calm, collected man that’s two steps of even the most intelligent of opponents is the type of role that Williamson is best at.
Though the film in sections feels like a TV movie as many Universal films of the era do. Those moments are few and far between. Though they do come up and are almost jarring when one compares to the shot on location in Hong Kong harbor moments or the martial arts scenes at the end of the film shot in the mountain homes of Hong Kong. Though nothing takes away from what is most important; Fred Williamson.
That Man Bolt with is a satisfying martial arts adventure in the same vein as Enter The Dragon (which was released 3 months after Dragon). The problem with both is the same; we didn’t get an entire series with their respective main characters.
The Transfer
The Brand New 2K Master is a delight. Not a single scratch or blemish during the entire runtime of the film. The sharp image does suffer a bit from that Universal Studios produced flat look that mired many films from the studio. It’s a minor quibble for a gorgeously mounted shot-on-location film – when it’s shot-on-location and not bound by the studio back lot. All in all and handsome transfer that fans will enjoy.
The Extras
They include the following;
Fred Williamson That Man Hammer (16:01) – in this all-new interview with the That Man Bolt star and legend Fred “The Hammer” Williamson begins with his three-rule system for taking a role. Some of the other discussion points include why he wanted to take the role, the reasons why they went after Williamson for the role, his martial arts training – differences between Hong Kong training and the training he got in America, a hilarious conversation with Burt Reynolds, the production giving him money to purchase his clothes and his solution for this, where his cigar smoking came from – and the fact that he doesn’t smoke, working with Byron Webster, working with Teresa Graves, working with Jack Ging, the car under the truck stunt work – which leads to a discussion about him doing his own stunts in the film, the success of the film but the reasons why there were no sequels to this film, a great story about From Dusk Till Dawn, and much more. If anyone has heard The Hammer talk and knows his brand of off-the-cuff honesty about the industry, himself, and his movies know the good time you’re in for.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for That Man Bolt (2:32), Truck Turner (5:14), Trouble Man (2:31), The Eiger Sanction (2:50), Seven (1:12), Original Gangstas (2:15)
The Final Thought
That Man Bolt is an excellent film, Fred Williamson at his best. Kino has done a great job of bringing the film to life. Highest recommendations!!!
Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray edition of That Man Bolt is out February 7th
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