Samuel LoveLast October, the great Richard Roundtree passed away at the age of 81. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most outlets only really spoke of Shaft when reporting his passing – indeed, it was a monumental film and his towering performance as private detective John Shaft remains one of the most iconic of 1970s cinema. But his career was filled with fascinating work and his fifth film is now receiving the Blu-ray treatment for the first time in the UK.
With Shaft and follow-up Shaft’s Big Score already under his belt, Roundtree could’ve lived off that character and others like it for the rest of his career. And yet, 1973 saw Charley-One-Eye released; a uniquely fascinating exploitation western, which saw him playing a black Union soldier who murders his white commanding officer and going on the run through the harsh desert. He soon takes an injured American Indian (Roy Thinnes) hostage, and the two form a strained partnership as they ultimately must work together to evade a sadistic, racist bounty hunter (Nigel Davenport) and other threats. Directed by Jason and the Argonauts’ Don Chaffey, Charley-One-Eye is a film that defies easy labelling.
Despite being a British-American production, Charley-One-Eye perhaps feels closest to a spaghetti western in its style – there are some real arthouse flourishes here with the uniquely intense cinematography. At under 90 minutes, the film keeps things moving at a swift pace – even if the narrative content itself is fairly minimal. This is a very simplistic film that follows very few narrative conventions or structure; at times it feels like an unsettling hang-out film or buddy flick, as we spend the majority of the runtime with the two leads. Performances are excellent – Roundtree’s character, credited as ‘The Black Man’, is quite abhorrent, terrorizing ‘The Indian’ throughout their journey. This is a mean-spirited and nihilistic film, by design – there is certainly commentary here on race, colonialism, exploitation – but it does feel like there is often little to actually say beyond acknowledging just how hateful people can be. It is all rather downbeat and without much hope in its resolution, despite a rather funky 70s soundtrack.
Raw and visceral, the film feels dirty and oozes more grit and violence than nearly any of its contemporaries. It’s a unique experience that feels at times hallucinatory and tinged with hints of surrealism in its twisted visuals and fever dream-like tone. I can see why many audiences would struggle to get on its wavelength and even endure its 90 minutes; it is a dark, violent and cruel film. Packed with unique atmosphere and dread, Charley-One-Eye is a powerful time capsule of a very specific time in filmmaking history. You simply could not make Charley-One-Eye today.
Screenbound’s new Blu-ray release is a treat – the film looks great, considering the limitations of the source that are outlined in an opening title card regarding the restoration. It’s a surprise that the film isn’t more of a cult classic – this is such a bleakly distinctive vision from a filmmaker who otherwise worked primarily in fantasy and family adventures including Pete’s Dragon. While I can’t say I particularly enjoyed Charley-One-Eye, I found it to be wholly fascinating and compelling – and if nothing else, it genuinely shocked and surprised me throughout. While my recommendation of this film comes with caveats, I encourage those with a strong stomach for violence and cruelty to give it a go. You’ve certainly seen nothing like it before.
