Mike welcomes Andrew Nette and Jedidiah Ayres back to dissect Dark of the Sun (1968), a brutal, kinetic men‑on‑a‑mission film whose pulp thrills sit atop a surprisingly rich political and historical foundation. The trio digs into the movie’s Cold War backdrop, its depiction of the Congo Crisis, and the real mercenaries who inspired characters like Curry and the sadistic Henlein — from “Mad” Mike Hoare to Siegfried “Congo” Müller, whose Iron Cross‑wearing exploits echo through the film. They explore Jack Cardiff’s muscular direction, the film’s obsession with logistics, its uneasy colonial gaze, and how Rod Taylor and Jim Brown anchor a story that veers from heist film to war movie to moral reckoning.
Chainsaws, trains, diamonds, and geopolitics collide in one of the wildest action films of the 1960s.
Chris Stachiw had a Blaxploitation month on The Kulturecast before where he wasn't impressed. I offered to program a month of movies that would help put a smile on his face... and hopefully yours, too.
Special Guests: Antonio Fargas, Peter McCarthy Guest Co-Host: Chris Cummins
Keenan Ivory Wayans's I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) is at once a parody of and follow-up to Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. In it, Wayans stars as Jack Spade, the new blood trying to take down Mr. Big (John Vernon) with a team of classic heroes like John Slade (Bernie Casey), Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (Jim Brown), Kung Fu Joe (Steve James) and Fly Guy (Antonio Fargas).
Chris Cummins joins Mike to discuss the film. Special guests include actor Antonio Fargas (Putney Swope, Cleopatra Jones) and producer Peter McCarthy (Tapeheads, Roadside Prophets).
Music:
"He's a Fly Guy" - Curtis Mayfield
"Jack of Spades" - Boogie Down Productions
"How to Pick Up Girls" - The Little Girls
"This Beat is Military" - K-9 Posse