Watch Mean Johnny Barrows For Free

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Sorry, this movie sucks

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Either I have been misinterpreting and misusing the word "mean" throughout my entire life, or this movie's title is completely misleading. Fred Williamson's title character, Johnny Barrows, is about everything but mean in this movie. He's dull, and incredibly indecisive citizen who remains frustratingly honorable even though life is repeatedly stabbing him in the back. Barrows is a decorated Vietnam veteran, but after his discharge from the army (for righteously punching a superior in the face) he quickly becomes homeless, unemployed and has to start digging for food in garbage bins. His mafia buddy Mario Racconi offers him a job as hit man numerous times, especially since a rival clan moved into their territory, but Johnny Barrows prefers to clean toilets at a gas station for $21 per month because that's an honest profession. Yeah right. Only one full hour and one dead godfather later, Johnny finally gets a bit mean and accepts the job to protect a woman who doesn't even fancy him. The film ends with the message: "this movie is dedicated to all veterans who traded the front line for the unemployment line". Oh, okay, so this is an attempt at social criticism? Let me assure you there are numerous of gritty and violent 70's movies out there dealing with re-integration issues of Vietnam veterans, and practically all of them are better than "Mean Johnny Barrows". This is just a boring Fred Williamson vehicle, his directorial debut by the way, with only a couple of notable moments in the last fifteen minutes. Roddy McDowell's role is hardly worth mentioning and Elliot Gould merely just makes a cameo.

Decent and valiant Vietnam war veteran Johnny Barrows (a credible and engaging performance by stunningly handsome and charismatic 70's blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson) gets dishonorably discharged after striking an antagonistic superior officer (a pleasingly nasty cameo by Aaron Banks). Barrows goes back to his hometown and winds up totally destitute after two muggers steal all his money. Worse yet, Barrows has great difficulty finding gainful employment. Crusty Mafia don Luther Adler and his suave son Stuart Whitman offer Barrows a gig as an enforcer, but he politely declines their offer. Instead Barrows takes a demeaning job working as a janitor at a gas station owned by an odious racist redneck jerk (expertly played by the great R.G. Armstrong). Barrows gets arrested by the cops after getting into an ugly fight with Armstrong over his paltry salary. Worse yet, Adler gets rubbed out and Whitman winds up in the hospital after both of them are gunned down by rival drug-dealing gangster Anthony Caruso and his two no-count sons Mike Henry (foul-mouthed hothead) and Roddy McDowall (effiminate toady). Whitman offers Barrows $100,000 dollars to bump off Caruso and his sons. Now what do think Johnny's going to do? Although severely marred by poky pacing, a stupefying surplus of tedious talk, a meandering narrative, and an often painfully conspicuous low budget, there's nonetheless a definite sincerity apparent here that's both strangely endearing and weirdly engrossing. Williamson's direction never transcends the merely competent, but he does show a fair amount of flair, a modicum of style, and, most importantly, a true sense of earnest ambition. The opening third is a very clunky chore to endure, but things fortunately pick up in the exciting third act and culminate in an extremely shocking surprise bummer ending which packs quite a punch. Moreover, the music is properly funky, the theme song is a groovy blast, there are a few sharp, snappy edits, and Robert Carimico's laudably polished cinematography makes artful use of fades, dissolves and super-impositions. Elliott Gould contributes an amusingly droll special appearance as a flaky philosophical homeless man who shows Barrows the ropes on how to scrape by as a bum. Jenny Sherman also impresses as Whitman's lovely and loyal girlfriend. The climactic martial arts fight between Banks and Williamson is an absolute hoot. Moral: Peace is hell. All in all, "Mean Johnny Barrows" rates as a pretty good, but flawed effort that's worth checking out if you're a Fred Williamson fan.

I got this film as part of this budget "Bad Brothas, Mean Mothas" boxed set, and watched this one first, because it stars Fred "Super-stud" Willaimson. I was surprised at what different and ambitous movie this is. Whether it lives up to all that ambition...Rather than a typical revenge fantasy (nothing wrong with those, but...) this film follows Johnny B. as he tries to get a job and resist joining the mob after being dishonorably discharged from the army for striking a white officer (after being, to put it lightly, provoked).It takes a while as the film unfolds to realize that he's not, as usually happens in these movies, going to get p***ed and get even. He is arrested and tormented by the police to which he won't even give his name or say anything. For a while I thought he was dazed by being beaten earlier, but by the time he gets to the police station he should be more coherent. Then I thought "Well, he's just so COOL that he won't even dignify those cops by talking to them," but then that falls apart as well and... I just don't know why he wouldn't talk. Because it's a plot point, I suspect.The main idea of the story is Johnny trying to get a real job, and resist the mobsters who are offering him big money to become a hit man.(SPOILERS AHEAD----->)The arc of the movie hinges on Johnny's love for a woman (a WHITE woman, no less), which we are supposed to understand leads to him finally agreeing to work for the mob in order to avenge her rape. Sadly, this entire aspect of the film just doesn't come off at all, as there is barely any connection between him and the woman, there is no discernible chemistry between them... there's just nothing. (more spoilers here:) Another interesting thing about the structure of the film is how Johnny ends up the head of this crime organization at the end. It's just kind of interesting and unexpected. Then he offers his love to the woman, and instead of saying "Yes Johnny, take me anywhere and make love to me all day and all night! Do it right here! Do it right now!" like any sane woman or man would do, she... has a different reaction. And this leads to another surprising thing: the ending, which I totally didn't expect, but won't give away.This movie being directed by Fred himself adds a dimension to all the adoring shots of himself glaring face-on into the camera, but hey, he looks great and he knows it. I also like the change when he finally gets into those slick suits. The cheap DVD I got REALLY suffers from not being widescreen, as Fred seems to like to place his characters on opposite ends of the screen, and it seemed like more than half of the movie featured half a person's face or shuttled back and forth between the ends of the screen.A lot of people posting here have talked about how slow this movie is... I think because they're expecting a traditional revenge tale. This movie is not the greatest, but I think it deserves to be admired for the unconventionality of the story, and the aspects of 70s black culture (namely trying to get a decent job without any credentials, the difficulty of avoiding drawn into crime, in addition to the hammered in "plight of the veteran" aspects) that you don't see covered in other movies, which I think makes it kind of a little gem.--- Check out website devoted to bad and cheesy movies: www.cinemademerde.com

Mean Johnny Barrows is one mean a dull of a film.Basically it tells the story of Johnny Barrows, a former soldier who gets booted out of the army for striking an officer.As he returns to his hometown, he gets mugged and robbed and therefore, he is left penniless.Determined to start his life up again, he goes around looking for a job. There, he works at a garage and meets up with this chick called Nancy.However, prior to his job, he gets recruited by Mario Racconi when he gets gunned down by the Da Vinci family following a truce that went wrong.Determined to take on the job, Johnny goes round bumping off each member of the Da Vinci family until he reaches a climatic end putting a full scale on them with a double-barrelled shot gun.Well afterwards, what happens..? Someone puts a contract out on him. But who..?Well, it comes to show with a classic film like this, there are some good moments as well as bad. A good cast though, even Fred Williamson directed this flick.Not bad, but after all it is one mean of a dull film!