A Turkish poppy field is torched -and a U.S. drug trafficker known as “Mommy” (Shelley Winters) is feeling pretty burned. She phones the local cops she owns and orders a retaliatory strike on an inner-city antidrug headquarters. Mommy’s next call should be to 911. Because now she’ll have to mess with Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson). Mommy is relentless in her vendetta – but Cleo responds with catlike karate stealth. (Bong So Hon, technical advisor on Billy Jack, supervised the karate sequences.) Doodlebug, Pickle, Snake and more of Mommy’s offbeat stooges add glide to the story’s stride. Their antics, Mommy’s chortling sleaziness and Cleo’s class shape the power and pizzazz of Cleopatra Jones.
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Video Quality
Warner Archive provided Cleopatra Jones with a great 1080p master transfer in 2.39:1 when it was released in 2019 sourced from a remaster conducted at the time. The label has eliminated nearly all shortcomings with no obvious damage or dirt observed. From beginning to end, you are offered a transfer overflowing with top-notch detail and clarity. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues rarely emerge as an issue in this transfer. The natural film grain brings forth the nuances of the gritty cinematography. The film delivers bold colors within the clothing and production design such as the bright outfits and cars. Highlights stay firm throughout and black levels are primarily deep. This transfer delivers on all fronts when it comes to the hues. Warner Archive always brings their A-game.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a favorable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that delivers all the personality you want from the experience. Dialogue and environmental sounds work in tandem with the memorable music so everything has the appropriate presence in the mix. Exchanges come through clearly, although the original sound mix does cover up some of the dialogue with environmental noises. This appears to be more of an issue with the source rather than this particular mix. The score establishes the swagger of the film while avoiding unwanted anomalies. There is no major damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. The more bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. Warner Archive has delivered a fine mix for this one. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Trailer (2:57)
Final Thoughts
Cleopatra Jones is a really entertaining entry into this subgenre that takes its hero seriously and allows Shelley Winters to gleefully vamp beyond all reason. The narrative itself is fairly trodden territory, but there is enough personality put into the execution that it manages to stand apart. The production was obviously scrappy, yet the entertainment value is never second-rate. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a sterling A/V presentation but almost nothing in the way of special features. If you want a strong entry point into the blaxploitation genre, give this a whirl. Recommended
Cleopatra Jones can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
