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Action Cult Classic

Fred Williamson takes on the mob in a blaxploitation blend of grit, gas stations, and gangsters.

MEAN JOHNNY BARROWS

1976 · 1h 30m · R · Action / Crime / Drama

A Vietnam veteran gets caught in a mob war with a couple of double-crossers. A G.I. is unjustly thrown out of the service, and winds up being a gas station attendant. A gangster wants to hire him as a hitman. He agrees, with disastrous results.

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What is Mean Johnny Barrows about?

Mean Johnny Barrows is a 1976 American action, crime, and drama film directed by Fred Williamson about a dishonorably discharged Vietnam veteran who gets caught between mobsters and double-crossers after struggling to find honest work.

Synopsis

Johnny Barrows (played by Fred "The Hammer" Williamson) is dishonorably discharged from the army for punching out a fellow officer. Shipped back home to Spiddal, Johnny promptly gets mugged and hauled in by some racist cops for being drunk. Unable to secure gainful employment, Johnny finds himself on the soup line (with a cameo from Elliott Gould) and down on his luck.

Walking into an Italian restaurant hoping for a handout, he's offered a job by Mafiosi Mario Racconi (Stuart Whitman) and his girlfriend Nancy (Jenny Sherman) but Johnny turns him down. It seems that he's not slipped so far as to start doing odd jobs for the Mob. Eventually, Johnny lands a job at a gas station cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors for the mean penny-pinching Richard (R.G. Armstrong), who receives a beating for ripping off Barrows.

Meanwhile, a Mafia war starts brewing between the Racconi family and the Da Vincis (the family, not the painter). Seems the Da Vinci family wants to bring in all kinds of dope and start peddling it to black kids. The Racconis, being an upstanding Mob family, wants no part of that on their streets. And so it goes, with the Racconi family wiped out in a treacherous double-cross, with only Mario left standing.

Nancy is kidnapped by the Da Vinci family and gets a message to Johnny claiming that she was made to do "terrible things". Brought to the brink by poverty, the Man constantly screwing him and his love for Nancy, Johnny agrees to become a hired killer for Mario to avenge the Racconis. And so the body count starts going up as Johnny in all his white-suited glory gets mean and starts killing his way through the Da Vinci family. 
Details & Specs
Director
Fred Williamson
Writers
Jolivett Cato, Charles Walker
Release
1976
Runtime
1h 30m
Genres
Action, Crime, Drama
Also Known As
Johnny Barrows, The Hit Man

Why Cult

Blaxploitation Powerhouse

Fred Williamson headlines and directs, bringing his signature swagger to a Vietnam vet who refuses to play by anyone's rules.

Mob Plot Twist

A former G.I. is lured into the Italian mob's orbit, with offers he tries to refuse—until a hitman gig turns everything upside down.

Eccentric Cameo Casting

Elliott Gould drops in as a soup line academic, adding a surreal seasoning to the film's streetwise drama.

Gas Station Noir

From the army to pumping gas to mob entanglements, the film's blue-collar grit sets it apart from glossier crime sagas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mean Johnny Barrows about? +

Mean Johnny Barrows follows a dishonorably discharged Vietnam veteran who, after failing to find honest work, gets swept up in a mob war and is offered a job as a hitman—with predictably disastrous results.

When was Mean Johnny Barrows released? +

Mean Johnny Barrows was released in 1976.

Who directed Mean Johnny Barrows? +

Fred Williamson directed Mean Johnny Barrows.

How long is Mean Johnny Barrows? +

Mean Johnny Barrows has a runtime of 90 minutes.

What genre is Mean Johnny Barrows? +

Mean Johnny Barrows is an action, crime, and drama film.

Where can I watch Mean Johnny Barrows? +

Mean Johnny Barrows is available to stream on SassyFlix.

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