Poster for Three the Hard Way
Compare 6 versions
Year
1974
Country
USA
Runtime
97 min
Director
Gordon Parks Jr.
Updated
9 Aug 2026
Obscurity
obscure (59/100)

Three the Hard Way

Brown, Williamson and Kelly against a plot to poison the water supply.

The three biggest action stars of the cycle, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly, team up against a white-supremacist plot to poison the water supply of Black neighbourhoods with a targeted toxin. Gordon Parks Jr directs it as a straight-faced action spectacular.

The premise is lurid pulp, but the film delivers exactly what the poster promises: three charismatic leads, big set pieces, and a villainy broad enough to make the heroes uncomplicated. It is comfort-food action.

A team-up movie that understands the assignment.

Something else

Trailer

The numbers

Nobody has rated this yet. Be the first to make a claim you'll have to defend.

Your call

Where to watch

Legal options in USA

Links open in a new tab (↗). Availability data via TMDB and changes constantly, so confirm on the service. Legal options only. Checked 9 Aug 2026. All options ↗

Discuss with AI

Open a chatbot with a question about this film already typed out. Useful for a second opinion, plot detail, or where to find a copy.

Written about

  • Blaxploitation, 1971 to 1975

    Melvin Van Peebles caught gonorrhea on his own set, filed a workers' comp claim, and bought more film stock with the settlement. Four years later the studios had mined the audience out and moved on.

Filed alongside

Poster for TNT Jackson▶ watchobscure

TNT Jackson

1974 · USA · 72m

Cirio Santiago's Manila blaxploitation at full tilt, remembered for one fight staged in the dark.

Poster for Detroit 9000▶ watchobscure

Detroit 9000

1973 · USA · 106m

A biracial cop pairing hunts jewel thieves in Detroit. Tarantino re-released it for a reason.

Poster for Sugar Hill▶ watchcult

Sugar Hill

1974 · USA · 91m

Revenge via Haitian zombies. The best of the blaxploitation horror crossovers.

Poster for The Mackcult

The Mack

1973 · USA · 110m

Half drama, half documentary of 1970s Oakland. The real players are in it.