The Black Six (1973) (Limited Edition) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Matt Cimber
STARRING: Gene Washington, Joe Greene, Jefferson Richard
RATED: UR/Region: A/1:85/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Film Masters
The Black Six is what happens when someone says, “What if we made a biker movie… but also made it extremely 1973 in every possible way?” And then nobody in the room says no.
Directed by Cirio H. Santiago (who clearly understood the assignment was “maximum chaos, minimum restraint”), this movie throws together a group of Black bikers, a revenge plot, corrupt lawmen, and enough tonal whiplash to give you emotional vertigo.
The setup is simple: a man is wrongfully killed, and his six biker buddies roll into town to deliver justice. What follows is part revenge flick, part biker hangout movie, and part “did that scene really just happen?” The answer is almost always yes—and no, it doesn’t get explained.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: this movie is wildly uneven. One minute it’s trying to say something about race, justice, and systemic corruption… and the next minute it’s like, “Anyway, here’s a bar fight and a completely unnecessary detour into comedy.” The tonal shifts aren’t so much jarring as they are aggressively committed to not making sense.
But here’s the weird part—it’s not boring. Not even close. There’s an unpredictable, anything-goes energy that keeps you watching, if only to see what strange left turn it takes next. The performances range from genuinely solid to “they absolutely told this guy to just wing it,” which somehow adds to the charm.
And the bikers themselves? Honestly kind of great. There’s a camaraderie there that feels real, even when the script is off doing its own thing entirely. You end up liking them despite the movie’s best efforts to derail itself every ten minutes.
Is The Black 6 a “good” movie in the traditional sense? Not really. Is it a fascinating, messy, occasionally compelling time capsule of its era? Absolutely.
It’s the kind of movie that feels like it was made on vibes alone—and somehow, against all odds, those vibes are just strong enough to carry you through the chaos.
Extras
- Audio Commentary
- Liner Notes
