ShangLuda Admirable film.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Leofwine_draca A quiet and sensitive look at the slave trade in southern USA in the 19th century this isn't! Instead, DRUM is a no-frills exploitation movie, a film whose sole purpose is to captivate, shock, titillate and outrage its audience. Conceived as a follow-up to MANDINGO, and featuring a few of the same actors, this is a surprisingly entertaining movie albeit one that isn't for the easily offended. Made back in the 1970s, long before political correctness became the norm, this film throws casual racism around willy-nilly and uses the 'n' word at least once every few minutes. On top of that, it strongly focuses on the sex and violence that were the staples of '70s drive-in cinema, so we get lots and lots of nudity, sexual situations, and violent fight scenes.Ken Norton is the principal actor, a tough and hulking hero. Many have condemned his restrained turn but I actually found him thoroughly convincing in the role. He's ably supported by some EXCELLENT performances from the other cast members, in particular Warren Oates, veering on the edge of ham as the sex-mad slave owner; Pam Grier, in a minor role as a pretty servant; John Colicos as an absolutely dastardly Frenchman; Fiona Lewis as a titillating bit of skirt and, best of all, Yaphet Kotto as an incendiary slave who eventually leads a result. Kotto steals every scene, just as he did in many other films he appeared in. He really is top-notch when it comes to giving great performances.This film has a short running time and plenty of action along the way. Norton engages in a couple of brutal battles, including one fantastic bout against a knife-wielding thug which is worth watching the film for alone. Best of all, though, is the film's detailing of all the hypocrisy and simmering violence that went hand in hand with the slave trade. DRUM pulls no punches in depicting mankind's inhumanity to man, and it isn't for the squeamish either. Colicos' eventual comeuppance is a thoroughly nasty moment that nevertheless had me cheering for its downright bravery.The best part of the film is the fiery climax, for which most of the budget is saved. It's large-scale, riotous and utterly exciting, really bringing to a head all of the tensions that were building up beforehand. I can't fault it. This excellent ending rounds off a film which provides entertainment from beginning to end: a true '70s movie that captures the concerns of that decade. They don't make them like this anymore, and to be honest, I'm glad of it: but there's no denying that DRUM is a film that belies its exploitation roots. It's a very good film indeed.

jtpaladin How anyone can watch this awful trash and enjoy any aspect of it amazes me. The acting was bad, the sets were bad, the script was bad, the subject matter was ridiculous, and the plot was absurd.Other people here who posted their comments saying that the film was "camp" or "good fun" or "one of my favorite films", clearly are so numb to violence against women that they readily accept garbage like this and enjoy it. What is wrong with some of you people? Have you no shame to actually come out and say that you enjoyed this psychotic idiocy? Where is your sense of decency? I think the final scene where the slaves break into the house and rape all the sleeping women is utterly disgusting. How can anyone "enjoy" a film where a whole host of women are violently raped? People actually find this entertaining? My suggestion is that some people need to get therapy as to why they would enjoy a film that ends in innocent women getting beaten and raped. Go to a therapist and tell him or her that you enjoy films were women are beaten and raped then find out the root cause for your disorder. Get help soon before you start acting out what you see on the screen.Clearly, the film was deplorable. There is something for any decent person to dislike. If a script for this film were to be submitted today, this movie would never get made. Don't even bother to watch this junk because there is not one single redeeming aspect to it. I mean, absolutely nothing. Of course, if you enjoy seeing women violently beaten and raped, this may be the film for you. And if it is, go get professional help.

Infofreak 'Drum' is the kinda sorta sequel to 'Mandingo', a movie that tried to walk a fine line between being a "serious" drama and a silly but fun exploitation movie. The director this time around is Steve Carver who made the trash classics 'Big Bad Mama' and 'The Arena', and he doesn't even attempt to disguise the Drive-In feel of this one. Ken Norton once again stars but plays a different character than in 'Mandingo'. Warren Oates plays Hammond Maxwell who Perry King played in the first movie. The idea that they are the same man is totally ridiculous and unbelievable, but once you can get over that hurdle you are in for a good time. Oates is outrageously amusing but without resorting to the hamminess that James Mason brought to 'Mandingo'. He is simply a joy to watch, as an uncouth but charming slave owner, and is the number one reason to hunt down this movie. Oates terrific performance more than makes up for Norton's dull turn. Also very good is Yaphet Kotto ('Blue Collar') as Drum's friend turned enemy Blaise, also one of Oates' slaves. Kotto is excellent (as usual) and it's a pity he wasn't the star instead of Norton. Fiona King ('The Fury') plays Oates' wife to be and is entertaining, as is Rainbeaux Smith ('Caged Heat') as Oates slutty daughter (a similar role to Susan George's in 'Mandingo' but much more enjoyable). Also noteworthy is John Colicos ('The Postman Always Rings Twice') as a very evil and camp slave owner who vows to kill Drum who spurns his salacious advances. The impressive cast also includes blaxploitation legend Pam Grier ('Black Mama, White Mama') who sadly doesn't have all that much screen time, and Oates 'Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia' co-star Isela Vega, who doesn't have much more. 'Drum' is pure exploitative trash and proud of it. If you take it in that spirit and not as a serious study of racism in 19th century America you'll enjoy it immensely. Especially when watching Warren Oates in one of his most enjoyable and underrated performances. This movie is essential viewing for all Oates fans.

stephaniet33 I managed to run across DRUM'S prequel MANDINGO at a popular video store. It was in the ROMANCE category if you can believe that. It looked to be interesting so I rented it. I was surprised that it wasn't a romance movie. Rather, it was a slave drama, a rauchy but entertaining one. I went to IMBd to see reviews of what other people thought and they pretty much matched mine. I then saw references to DRUM. I actually found a copy online!! I have it and I have watched almost 10 times. Someone wondered the audience they were after for DRUM. It was 1976, the era of new permissiveness (so I have studied...I'm a 33 year-old white female). I always heard about the Blaxploitation films and have seen them (Shaft, the Pam Grier movies, Superfly, etc.). My older sister's black friends flocked to them when I was a kid and sometimes she went along. I remember her coming home and only talking about the naked scenes and tortures, but never the plot. In fact, when I used to hear them all talk about the movie together, that's ALL they talked about. The movie was showing for a long time at the DOLLAR cinemas in the 80s. She and her friends went again and talked about it the same way. So the audience the filmmakers were after the audience (black AND white)that secretly desires to see naked torture and bondage in movies, under the pretense of seeing "what slavery was really like." Maybe some of it was that way, but they CLEARLY won over blacks who seemed to mostly already know what slavery really was like, but just wanted to see their favorite black stars naked. They got away with naked bondage in DRUM and MANDINGO because slavery is a "historical" fact. As for white females like me, sure, I wanted to see the scenes of the naked black male slaves and fantasize being the character of the white daughter. That's what the filmmakers wanted. NO black person in the bunch of my sister's friends seemed to be offended. They LAUGHED about the dialogue and the situations, taking the film as more of a satire. So don't look for ANY deep meaning or take it seriously. It's just raunchy, campy fun and the only way the producers could get away with getting this on the screen...using a real situation and putting their twist on it. Certainly not a film for history majors!