Melinda (DVD)

Blaxploitation superstars Calvin Lockhart, Rosalind Cash, Vonetta McGee and Jim Kelly take on the mob in this super-charged, action-packed thriller. When Melinda Lewis (McGee) is found brutally murdered in his L.A. apartment, smooth-talking disk jockey Frankie J. Parker (Lockhart) turns sleuth to clear his name. Chased and attacked by junkies, dealers and thugs, Frankie soon learns Melinda is the ex-mistress of a Chicago mobster and has evidence the gangster wants back. Enlisting the aid of a jealous ex-flame (Cash) and a karate master from the hood (Kelly, in his screen debut), Frankie sets out to track down the mob boss who framed him and avenge Melinda's death. A box-office success on its original release, Melinda was one of the few Blaxploitation films produced, written and directed by African-Americans and boasts a fantastic funk score by R&B legend Jerry Butler and Grammy winner Jerry Peters.