''The Bus Is Coming'' is a 1971 American drama film, directed by

Wendell James Franklin Wendell James Franklin (1916 – July 22, 1994) was an American film executive, who was the first Black member of the Directors Guild of America starting in 1960. He held several job roles in his career including film and television series direct ...

, starring Mike B. Simms and Burl Bullock. This

Blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

film also goes by the name ''Ghetto Revenge.''

Plot

The film is about the death of a prominent Black community member Joe Mitchell, who served on the school board. "The Black Fist," a local black power political organization wants to hold a rally in response to Mitchell's death because the "town must pay it's dues". Billy Mitchell, Joe's brother returns from the Vietnam War and investigates Joe's death. He becomes aware of a gang of racist cops, and eventually joins The Black Fist group to seek revenge.

Cast

* Mike B. Simms as Billy Mitchell * Burl Bullock as Michael * Stephanie Faulkner as Tanya *

Morgan Jones Morgan Jones may refer to: *Morgan Jones (actor, born 1879) (1879–1951), American silent film actor and screenwriter *Morgan Jones (actor, born 1928) (1928–2012), American film and television actor *Morgan Jones (broadcaster), Welsh television ...

as Tim Naylor *

Robert Brubaker Robert Brubaker (October 9, 1916 – April 15, 2010) was an American character actor best known for his roles in television and movie westerns, including '' Gunsmoke'' and ''40 Guns to Apache Pass''. Early years Brubaker was born in Robinson ...

as Chief Jackson * Sandra Reed as Miss Nickerson

Reception

Howard Thompson of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the film "strong, probing and impressively balanced". ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' wrote that the film "manages to address the racial issues while telling an interesting, albeit melodramatic story." Richard Leary of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' called the acting "amateurish", the direction "pedestrian", and the production "shoe-string". John Little of '' The Pittsburgh Press'' called the film "angry" and wrote that "the anger overcomes the effort". Sharon Scott of ''

The Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'' wrote a negative review of the film.

References

External links

*
The Bus is Coming
at

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bus Is Coming, The American drama films 1971 drama films Blaxploitation films