That Man Bolt (1973)

Jefferson Bolt (ex-NFL star Fred Williamson) is a courier and martial arts bad-ass who is hired to take $1 million from Hong Kong to Mexico City via Los Angeles. Arriving in Los Angeles, Bolt quickly realises he’s been double-crossed.

After a friend is killed and Bolt discovers the money he’s been hired to carry is counterfeit, Bolt heads back to Hong Kong to take revenge on those who set him up. Now he will have to face a crime boss named Kumada (Masatoshi Nakamura) and his army of trained martial arts killers.

Williamson dominates the film but is well supported by Byron Webster as pompous British agent Griffiths; Teresa Graves as lounge singer Samantha Nightingale; Jack Ging as amiable casino owner Connie Mellis; Miko Mayama as seductive socialite Dominique Kuan; John Orchard as limey lackey Carter; Paul Mantee as glowering thug Mickey; and Ken Kazama as lethal karate fighter Spider.

That Man Bolt is an odd mix of blaxploitation, martial arts, and espionage/spy thriller and it almost works. Unfortunately, the plot is so convoluted that it’s impossible to follow or care about what’s going on.

Locations as diverse as Macau, Mexico City and Las Vegas give the movie a James Bond feel. Original director Henry Levin became ill after filming the Hong Kong sequences and was replaced by David Lowell Rich who finished the film.

Jefferson Bolt
Fred Williamson
Griffiths
Byron Webster
Dominique Kuan
Miko Mayama
Samantha Nightingale
Teresa Graves
Kumada
Masatoshi Nakamura
Carter
John Orchard
Connie Mellis
Jack Ging
Spider
Ken Kazama
Raoul De Vargas
Vassili Lambrinos
Mickey
Paul Mantee

Director
Henry Levin
David Lowell Rich