Three the Hard Way (film)

Three the Hard Way
Original poster
Directed by	Gordon Parks, Jr.
Written by	Eric Bercovici Jerrold L. Ludwig
Starring	Fred Williamson Jim Brown Jim Kelly
Music by	The Impressions
Distributed by	Allied Artists Pictures Corporation
Release date	June 26, 1974
Running time	89 min.(DVD); 105 min.(TV version); 93 min.(theatrical release)
Country	United States
Language	English

Three the Hard Way is a 1974 action blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Jim Kelly, written by Eric Bercovici and Jerrold L. Ludwig and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. Featuring the three biggest black action stars of the 1970s, in their first movie together, the film chronicled the group's adventures in foiling the plot of white supremacists plotting to kill the black population of the United States by poisoning the water supply. According to The New York Times, the theatrical version ran 93 minutes. A PG version distributed to television (and released on Xenon VHS tape) runs 105 minutes. The Warner DVD ("4 Film Favorites: Urban Action") runs 89 minutes and is missing a song (cut from the theatrical version) and some footage of boats, cars, etc.(cut from the TV version) but includes the language and nudity. The theatrical version contains scenes of three topless women, but these scenes were re-shot with them clothed for the TV version.

Three The Hard Way was released in 1974 and is considered one of the classic action movies of the blaxploitation genre. Directed by the acclaimed Gordon Parks Jr., son of Gordon Parks (Shaft 1971) and director of Super Fly (1972), the film stars the three biggest black action stars of the era; Jim Brown (The Dirty Dozen, El Condor, Slaughter) as record producer Jimmy Lait, Fred Williamson (Black Caesar, Bucktown) as entrepreneur Jagger Daniels, and Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, Black Samurai, Black Belt Jones, One Down Two to Go) as martial arts master Mister Keyes.