Hammer is an early film vehicle for Fred Williamson. I would not regard this as his best(or worst) film work, but he shows lots of natural charisma and has a good screen presence. He has some ultra stylish pork chop side burns to boot. He is a boxer that gets mixed up with a crooked manager, which goes good for a while, but when Hammer won't take a dive ,the fight between Fred and the syndicate is on. The film looks real good and has some good action and a good supporting cast with blaxsploitation regulars D'Urville Martin and William Smith, who is very tough and a great villain. This film is not one of the all time best but should please most fans of the genre as a decent time passer.

Weaker entry in the Blaxploitation genre, but still one of the earlier films and has genre staple Fred Williamson. Has the same generic scenes with mobsters, people beating each other up, nudity and the general genre clichés. But story line is simply boring. Boxing scenes add a bit of color and interest. Not worth watching unless you are a student of the Blaxploitation genre.

After being fired due to an altercation at the shipyard docks, "B. J. Hammer" (Fred Williamson) accepts employment as a boxer for a manager by the name of "Big Sid" (Charles Lampkin). What he doesn't know is that Big Sid is connected to the mafia and is not only involved in illegal gambling but has recently branched out into drugs as well. Yet, even after being warned about Big Sid, Hammer ignores this bit of unwelcome news and chooses to concentrate on his training while at the same time becoming better acquainted with a woman who works with Big Sid named "Lois" (Vonetta McGee). Unfortunately, the longer he remains in this environment the more certain he becomes that things aren't necessarily as they seem. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good "blaxploitation film" which helped launch Fred Williamson's transition from football to acting. Of course, having a nice-looking actress like Vonetta McGee certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, those interested in a film of this type might enjoy this particular movie and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.