Directed by:
Larry CohenScreenplay:
Larry CohenCinematography:
Fenton HamiltonComposer:
James BrownCast:
Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry, Art Lund, D'Urville Martin, Julius Harris, Minnie Gentry, William Wellman Jr., James Dixon, Val Avery, Myrna Hansen (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Growing up on the streets without a father and desperately trying to make his mother proud, Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) takes whatever comes his way, running errands, working his way up to get a taste of the good life. But when a crooked cop gets in his way, Tommy soon realises there's a better way to operate - and takes charge of his future by establishing his own delivery service. Muscling in on the infamous Cardoza family, Tommy takes over, establishing himself as the first black Godfather in Manhattan - tightening the squeeze on anyone who dares stand in his way - including the crooked cop! (Umbrella Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
This film was part of a midnight blaxploitation screening. The audience, lulled by previous nights of somewhat sleazy stunts, looked forward to laughing at the film's silliness and having some fun at the filmmakers' expense. But those initial smiles soon faded. There's nothing funny about this movie and nothing to laugh at. Thematically and in focus, it resembles Scott's American Gangster, though of course it lacks his filmmaking skill, but even so, this saga of the rise and fall of a black mob boss is not without some excellent scenes and builds up fantastically in the last act. The surprise is all the greater because the director's chair was occupied by a guy who became famous for movies like "Deadly Ice Cream Attacks the United States".
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Good movie, which has a tragic bloody aspect, especially evident in the finale, but has quite a good story, actually about how a black man turns to the wrong side and is willing to go against his own. There must be consequences, that's clear. Good characters, it’s nice and gritty, and I'm satisfied with this blaxploitation.
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