Rudy Ray Moore took a huge gamble when making Dolemite, but thankfully, that gamble paid off. While people didn’t track box office totals back then, it’s reported that the film grossed $12 million on a $100,000 budget. Moore decided to strike while the iron was hot and make a sequel with this success. Since D’Urville Martin didn’t care about the original, Moore hired a new director to helm the project. Through his producing partner T. Toney, Moore met theater director Cliff Roquemore, a Detroit native looking for his big break. Moore liked his theater work and hired Roquemore to helm the sequel with his ideas for the film. Much of the cast and crew from the original returned, and the shoot went much smoother this time around. After a four-week shooting schedule, The Human Tornado made its way to theaters in the summer of 1976.
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Synopsis
Dolemite (Rudy Ray Moore) throws a massive party at his mansion to celebrate after a successful comedy tour. Unfortunately, the party’s interrupted when the racist Sheriff Beatty (J.B. Baron) breaks in, finding his wife in bed with Dolemite. Dolemite escapes and hits the road with his friends Bo (Ernie Hudson), Jimmy (James Cromartie), and Dough (Ed Montgomery). Once home, Queen Bee (Lady Reed) tells Dolemite that local crime boss Cavaletti (Herb Graham) kidnapped two of his girls. Meanwhile, Beatty enlists police Captain Ryan (Jack Kelly) to hunt down Dolemite, informing Agent Blakely (Jerry Jones) of the situation. With help from his lady friend Hurricane Annie (Gloria Delaney), Dolemite kicks ass and takes names searching for his girls. It’s up to Dolemite and company to free the girls, take out Cavaletti, and get even with the racist sheriff. It’s a hell of a storm when The Human Tornado rolls in!
Review
Compared to its predecessor, The Human Tornado is in many ways an improvement that enhances what made the original work. It’s got the same wacky humor, kung-fu fighting, and vulgar taunts as Dolemite, but cranked up to 11. One example of the gags going more over-the-top is when they replay Rudy Ray Moore doing an outrageous stunt. Like in the last film, Rudy Ray Moore is firing on all cylinders and then some with his performance. You can tell he’s having more fun with his exaggerated body movements and how he delivers his ridiculous lines. Compared to D’Urville Martin, Cliff Roquemore’s direction is superior, with all the fast and slow-motion effects added. His kinetic filmmaking adds to just how wild and crazy the overall film is, making it overwhelming at times. Honestly, you’ll be so overwhelmed, you’ll feel like Barbara Gerl’s character by the film’s end.
It’s great seeing a young Ernie Hudson playing a relatively significant supporting role, and he does a great job. Also, Jerry Jones gives another excellent performance as Blakely, though he doesn’t have as much to do here. The rest of the supporting cast play their parts as appropriately exaggerated as possible, further adding to the film’s charm. You can tell that the crew learned a lot from the last movie, given the lack of noticeable technical flubs. Admittedly, even though this is supposed to be a sequel, it works more as a standalone film. Plus, while the last movie almost had little to no plot, this one has almost too much story to follow. Still, if you can sit back and not take it too seriously, you’ll be in for a fun thrill ride. Overall, The Human Tornado takes what worked before and doubles down on that tenfold.
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