WARNING SPOILERS

That’s right, tonight’s Live Movie Friday pick is Disco Godfather (1979), directed by none other than Rudy Ray Moore—the foul-mouthed legend behind Dolemite himself.

This movie is everything: part blaxploitation, part anti-drug PSA, and part fever dream filtered through a disco ball and karate kicks. Rudy Ray Moore plays a retired cop-turned-disco DJ (yes, really) who sets out to avenge his nephew’s angel dust overdose. If that doesn’t scream “watch me live with popcorn and disbelief,” I don’t know what does.

Why did I choose this one? Because it’s utterly unhinged, hilariously earnest, and 100% unforgettable. Also, because I needed a reminder that “Put your weight on it!” is still one of the greatest battle cries in cinema history.

🕘 We’re watching LIVE tonight at 9PM PST / 4AM GMT
Join the chaos, bring your takes, and get ready for a disco-fueled descent into madness.

🧵 Live reactions will be happening right here in this thread.
Yes, here on !movies@piefed.social, so don’t miss out.

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Put your weight on it. See you at 9.

Here we go! Time for the movie that will put me in traction!

Really trippy opening credits but I wouldn’t want to watch them while under the influence of PCP.

Not going to lie, this club scene at the beginning is lit. There’s a tropical lounge thing going on with everyone in sick lounge wear. And the disco tunes are actually good.

Also, Rudy Ray Moore is slick. I’m completely buying him as the Disco Godfather because only the godfather would walk in with that baby outfit complete with choker and belt.

And you know what? Witnessing his rhymes at the DJ booth—no accident Rudy Ray Moore become so influential on hip hop. Because he’s got the skills to pay the bills.

“Keep your weight on it! Keep your weight on it!”

In its own way, I feel this really does encapsulate disco in a way no other movies do—what drew so many people to this scene.

Bit of a lover’s makeup session outside the club. Lots of shots of the French kissing at several angles.

Girl asks her lover what’s up with him, and he says he’s got a lot on his mind. Now she’s lecturing him about smoking some stuff. Asks him what his uncle would think. He insists he knows what he’s doing.

I think we have some… foreshadowing.

We move back to the club, and there’s a freakout. Seems that angel dust did something messed up to Bucky, the fellow in the parking lot.

So now the Disco Godfather has to check things out.

Now Bucky’s out of his mind. Disco Godfather is telling him to get a hold of himself. But now Bucky is hallucinating.

And right here, I got to say the shot sequence is quite creative. We’re seeing Bucky’s hallucinations, and they’re freaky. Ghosts, and goblins, and a whole lot of wild things.

The ambulance is coming. They tied him up, and now Bucky is being taken away.

Sad day for the Disco Godfather.

I shouldn’t be laughing because PCP is no joke, but these scene of people freaking out on angel dust is hilarious.

The doc is explaining to Disco Godfather about the dangers of PCP, and we learn one of the girls here roasted her baby in an oven.

Then we see a sequence of Bucky’s hallucinations. He’s imagining himself playing basketball, while being haunted by a witch.

Bucky asks how he can play basketball without his arm, and they tell him he still has an arm.

Fairly over the top scene, but I’m entertained.

Doc now explaining to a woman what happened to her daughter after she took the PCP.

We are informed that PCP is a modern drug that is beyond the understanding of modern medicine.

You know, there really is no way to exaggerate PCP’s horrors.

Now Disco Godfather is at the police station. We find out he’s ex-cop Tucker Williams.

So now we know that Tucker is going to do some investigating himself—and he’s back on the force as a reserve.

Now that he’s on the case, we’ll get to the bottom of it.

We’re back at the disco, and we witness the moves of the Disco Squad. A journalist wants to talk to the Disco Godfather about this new hot phenomena of disco.

But instead of talking about disco, he wants to talk about angel dust—and how he’s personally going to come down on the evildoers.

Phone ain’t working, so Tucker wants to find out why.

Then he discovers some baddies are in the middle of messing with his phone. So we get some chop socks action with bad-but-hilarious kung fu.

Disco Godfather demands answers, but then he gets knocked on the back of his head—then the baddies run out of the club.

We’re introduced to the head bad guy who seems to have something to do with the NBA.

After he’s finished his press conference, he’s being warned about Tucker—how he’s a dangerous dude.

We’re at the PCP processing facility. 1,000 gallons of PCP will be ready!

Head drug dealer guy is checking the merch.

Back to the club! We’re being treated to the disco skate dancers! And now we get two trends of the 70s in one: disco and rollerskating.

And now the Disco Godfather makes his grand entrance! Gratuitous crotch shot time! Now more of the squad comes on the floor, and they’re pretty fire. These are pretty damn good moves.

Now the Disco Godfather is at the DJ booth yelling out “Put your weight on it! Put your weight on it! Put your weight on it!”

That was awesome!

Disco Godfather talking about the disco business. And when everyone leaves, he lets his assistant know that he’s about to attack the whack!

A bunch of Christians are now trying to do some faith healing on a woman who hasn’t recovered from PCP. There doing an exorcism. And I don’t know, if I were on PCP, I’d be freaked out even more.

PSA time: there’s a big community meeting about PCP with a big crowd.

The organizer asks the crowd how many of them have done angel dust. Lots of hands come up. Wow! That’s a lot of people.

You know, I don’t think most people would voluntarily imbibe in that stuff.

Now we’re getting together to wrestle that PCP to the ground! Attack the whack! We’re going to rid the world of PCP!

Back to the PCP dealer. And he’s insulted because Tucker Williams called him an asshole. He ain’t going to put up with that! He’s personally affronted by the very notion he is unsavoury!

All right! All right! All right!

Back to the disco–AND IT’S TIME TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT ON IT!

Some groovy tunes with some dancing shots, and of course the Disco Godfather himself coming on strong in his sequinned outfit.

Wait. The cops just showed up. The guns came out—hitmen are in the crowd. The dead bodies pile up. And the Disco Godfather survives.

Tucker’s boss drives him around the city, tells him to cut it out—he has a good business going, so why stick out his neck?

Well, how could the Disco Godfather just sit idly by when his nephew is in trouble?

We’re back in the hospital with the nephew, who has big regrets about the PCP and missing the basketball play-offs. He’s angry. He’s livid. He’s pissed that he was bullied into smoking the angel dust.

Doc tells him to just chalk it up to an experience—it’s in the past. But nephew has big regrets.

Doc leaves the room to encounter the Christians. They’re still unable to get the girl to come out of her PCP stupor.

Disco Godfather walking around town in his fly pink suit with big pink flower on his lapel. He meets with his good friend, and Tucker lets him know about how angel dust is ravaging the community.

Side note: I should get a pinky ring.

We’re at a house party, everyone’s dancing—then Disco Godfather busts in with the kung fu. He’s giving his notice. He identifies everyone—including the country’s most notorious shoplifter!

Also, there’s an African American dude doing yellow face. That was unexpected.

Tucker discovers a big huge pile of white powder at the party, blows it off the tray, then a whole punch of the party goers pile onto the floor to get them some.

Montage of Disco Godfather walking around town, looking for leads—accompanied by some funky music. He’s everywhere. Getting the drop on some suckers. Slaps a few for good measure.

This movie loves its parties because we’re at another one. And everyone here is dressed fresh. God damn, I wish I had just a little bit of this style.

And we encounter the PCP dealer schmoozing—and I finally find out his name. It’s Stinger.

Then he’s being warned again about Tucker, and how he’s coming in close.

Another party. The police come busting in with Tucker Williams in tow. And they’re searching for some PCP. Can’t find it.

After they’re done, cop tells him it’s like old times.

Disco Godfather wakes up to a nightmare. His girl tries to ease him with some sex. But just as they get it on, he hears a knock on the door. He stops the sex to the protestations of his girl—and when he opens the door, there’s a dead animal on his door.

Tucker’s old friend is dead. And here he tells his police colleague that he suspects a leak because whenever they get a lead on the PCP, it’s gone.

They catch a dealer who tells Tucker he’ll be back on the street in no time.

Then they find a kid high on angel dust who gives him details about what happened to his nephew. And we find out that all of this is connected to the purchase of a new basketball team.

Big wild meltdown: “GET HIM OUT OF MY FACE!!!”

Tucker has a hunch about the leak. They’re setting a trap on a colleague named Kilroy and he falls for it.

Kilroy’s wife wakes up, goes to the bathroom, and she discovers his dead body in the bathroom.

Stinger finds out that Kilroy is dead. He doesn’t know if Kilroy talked—so now he’s going after Tucker.

Tucker wants a warrant but he can’t get it on time.

A long haired white dude in a cowboy hat ambushes Tucker, takes him hostage, forces him into a car—tells him to drive.

They’re being followed, and Tucker is told to call off his possé or else he will die.

Everyone’s at the disco club and they’re worried.

White cowboy tells Tucker he could have killed him, but he wants to get his nut off, so he whips him. Wow! Kinky!

But Tucker grabs the whip, and gives him the business—kills him.

Serves cowboy right for trying to get his nut off.

Nephew is now involved, asks his friend to take him to Stinger. He wants revenge.

Stinger knows things are closing in on him so he’s burning all his business papers.

Some kung fu now right outside Stinger’s door, and Tucker is taking on a whole gang on at once.

Dude in a tracksuit come by asks if he needs help. Tucker lets him know this is an angel dust factory. So now the track-suited guy unleashes his kung fu.

Now Tucker faces off against a giant moustachioed goon. Boss fight!

And we got the disco music on for good measure!

It really is terrible kung fu. But it’s elite on the entertainment front.

Now the tracksuit guy takes on the rest of the goons as Tucker makes his way into the factory.

Inside the factory, we get full Enter the Dragon confrontations with scary dudes wh are a step above the guys outside. One of them is wearing a chainmail blouse. He can’t really fight, so bashes his chest against Tucker.

Nephew enters the factory now.

Stinger hears an alarm, makes a big announcement on the intercom that they’re being invaded.

Nunchuks com out! Full mayhem!

Wacka-chucka-wacka-chucka music.

And just as Tucker is about to be killed, the bad guy is told to “discipline” him.

Now we see a shot of the girl on PCP and the Christians circling around him.

Tucker is being gas masked with PCP. He’s freaking out. Now he’s under the influence of angel dust!

Some freaky shots full of hallucinations. Tucker is popping out of a coffin. Then he freaks out some more.

Cut now to the girl on PCP.

Tucker keeps telling himself he has to be in his mind.

And again, the faith healers.

Stinger is being confronted by his wife about the angel dust. He tells her, how do you think she got the big house and the cars?

All these hallucination sequences are really freaky. I’m so glad that I’m sobre right now.

Police show up and make some arrests.

Now Tucker hallucinates his mother, and there’s even a little bit of animation going on. While high, he find Stinger, grabs his neck, check him out. Then Stinger morphs into the devil. Nephew comes by restrains him. And then the Disco Godfather freaks out at the prospect of being taken away.

Just like that. The movie is over. The end credits run.

This is actually a really good movie. Low budget, of course. The actors aren’t always great. But the sheer entertainment is top shelf.

Rudy Ray Moore sure understood how to make a fun movie. Recommended!