Velvet Smooth

Velvet Smooth, a 1976 movie featuring Johnnie Hill, Owen Watson, and Emerson Boozer, is a stimulating journey into the seedier side of life, a journey that serves as an adrenaline-pumping exploration of 70s street culture accompanied by unrelenting action, explosive suspense, and intriguing relationships. The movie makes interesting use of its low budget to craft an engrossing atmosphere, making it a cult classic within the Blaxploitation genre.

Velvet Smooth, played by the charismatic Johnnie Hill, is a woman like no other – adroit, adept, and alarmingly attractive. Hill brings to life the title character with sheer audacity and verve, portraying an assertive and independent woman who is not to be offended. She runs a private detective agency with her partners, quick-witted Clint and street-smart Rennie. The trio is dedicated to making the unruly streets of their city safer for the common people, dishing out justice and outsmarting the underworld with their daring wit, quick reflexes, and unparalleled street smarts.

This unconventional narrative revolves around a criminal mastermind who has been plaguing the city with a surge of crimes. Upon realizing this, the local crime boss called King Lathrop, played by Owen Watson, employs Velvet Smooth and her associates to investigate the matter. Watson delivers a stellar performance as the suave crime lord who finds himself in an ironical situation. The irony of a crime boss relying on detectives to get to the root of the situation, further emphasizes the sense of lawlessness and danger that threatens the city.

A retired professional football player, Emerson Boozer, seeks a different kind of goal line in this movie. He plays the role of Capt. Harry Rome, a police officer torn between his role as an officer of the law and his dislike of the tactics of Velvet and her crew. Anticipating Velvet's antics, Captain Rome serves as both an obstacle and a reluctant ally for Velvet in her mission to expose the real criminal mastermind.

This composition of diverse characters makes Velvet Smooth a movie engrossed in the essence of 70s street culture, portraying an amalgamation of spirit, conflict, and unconventional justice. The narrative takes several unexpected turns as Velvet and her gang navigate through the intricate maze of street crime, trying to unravel who is the puppeteer behind this uprising chaos.

The director, Michael Fink, creates an intriguing contrast between Velvet and her male counterparts giving her the limelight, and presenting her as the strong, intelligent female protagonist which was quite unconventional for its time. The film effectively showcases the potential of a woman in an action-driven role and paints the reality of 70s street life unfiltered.

The movie also impresses with its soundtrack - an amalgam of playful Jazz and groovy Funk. With a disarming melody that harmonizes with the film's gritty aesthetic, the music delineates the soundscape of the era and creates an immersive auditory experience for the audience. Undeniably, the music is in the driver's seat, controlling the tension and creating lyrical moments out of street chaos.

The low-budget movie makes the most of the limited resources, emphasizing the grittiness of the film’s setting. The viewer is plunged into grim cityscapes and moving street scenes, where chaos and lawlessness dominate. Thus, the cinematography, which embraces the imperfections and harsh realities of the streets, is worthy of mention, providing as it does an authentic backdrop to a volatile 70s city.

Overall, Velvet Smooth serves a polished blend of captivating plot, prodigious acting, and a vibrant musical backdrop all intertwined within a city's seedy underworld, with its protagonist, Velvet Smooth, transmitting ideals of bravery, independence, and justice. This movie is a thrilling exploration of the life of an extraordinary woman grappling with ordinary crime - an unusual detective story that's as rough and tough as its main character, Velvet Smooth.