Original Gangstas

Rating:
Summary: An solid comeback for an action movie vet--
Review: Original Gangstas: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier. Williamson is John Bookman, former football pro turned coach, who comes back to his old hometown to find it overrun by gangs. The last straw is when Bookman's dad is assaulted and his grocery store vandalized. Grier is the mom of a basketball prodigy slain by the Rebels, one of three major gangs in the city. Brown is Bookman's best friend who comes back to bury his son. In a touch of irony, the gangs are the modern day incarnation of the crews started by Bookman & his friends decades ago. But whereas the original intent was to be a teen militia of sorts, the modern crews-mostly people well over 21-- are about nothing but victimizing their neighborhood.

Filmed entirely on location in Gary, Indiana, the film uses many city landmarks to illustrate the decay that has taken place. The film rightly postulates that the abrupt downsizing of the US Steel mill in the late 60's started an economic domino effect that the city has yet to recover from. Abandoned storefronts still abound, while neighborhoods are peppered with derelict houses and other rag-tag buildings.
Supporting roles are offered by Robert Forster as a police detective, and Ron O'Neal & Richard Roundtree as longtime residents who join the effort to take the city back.

Williamson and his contemporaries first came to prominence in the black action movie trend of the 70's. Some of his real life was slipped into the script: Williamson was a Northwestern football star before turning pro; also, according to the star the film was inspired from an encounter he had while visiting his mother, who still lives in Gary.

Fred and the actors of his generation deserve better from the Hollywood industry-- folks like Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have used them in a handful of contemporary films, but they should have the status of a Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds..

Rating:
Summary: A violent reunion from back in the day
Review: The reason to watch this movie is the reunion for those of us who remember the protagonists from the era of blaxploitation films in which we were introduced to them/ Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, reconvene to take back their home town of Gary, Indiana from several well organized and terribly violent street gangs.

Also appearing in almost cameo roles are Ron O'Neal ("Superfly") and Richard Roundtree (the original John Shaft). Seeing them all together is a treat, but left me wondering why this quintet did not get more screen time all together. It is particularly pleasing to see Brown and Grier, who, as one of the expert reviewers noted, have aged very very well. However, the re-ignition of their former relationship is tepid and seemingly forced. By contrast, it has nowhere near the intensity seen when barely restrained Brown confronts a gang leader about the murder of his son.

I agree that the simplistic plot and the consistent (and predictable) violence keep this from being one of the great films of our time. Those who remember the first time seeing these individuals in character now some thirty years ago will enjoy seeing them all together again, and that makes this disc worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: A violent reunion from back in the day
Review: The reason to watch this movie is the reunion for those of us who remember the protagonists from the era of blaxploitation films in which we were introduced to them/ Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, reconvene to take back their home town of Gary, Indiana from several well organized and terribly violent street gangs.

Also appearing in almost cameo roles are Ron O'Neal ("Superfly") and Richard Roundtree (the original John Shaft). Seeing them all together is a treat, but left me wondering why this quintet did not get more screen time all together. It is particularly pleasing to see Brown and Grier, who, as one of the expert reviewers noted, have aged very very well. However, the re-ignition of their former relationship is tepid and seemingly forced. By contrast, it has nowhere near the intensity seen when barely restrained Brown confronts a gang leader about the murder of his son.

I agree that the simplistic plot and the consistent (and predictable) violence keep this from being one of the great films of our time. Those who remember the first time seeing these individuals in character now some thirty years ago will enjoy seeing them all together again, and that makes this disc worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Fred Williamson and Jim Brown
Review: The story line was wery good, I bought the movie because I have been a fan of Fred Williamson and Jim Brown since the 70's.

These men are as sexy today as they were in the 70's.

I gave it 5 stars because I love Fred Williamson and Jim Brown.

The men are as hot as the ever were. Like a fine wine..they get better with age...:-) :-)

Rating:
Summary: THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL HEROES!!!!
Review: THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY PERSON WHO ENJOYS BLAXPLOITAION FILMS. THIS IS JUST A FILM ON HOW FRED WILLIAMSON, JUMBROWN, PAM GRIER, AND OTHER CLASSIC HEROES TEAMED UP TO SAVE SOME PEOPLE FROM SOME BAD THUGS. THEY TAKE CARE OF THEM IN THE SAME THAT THEY HAVE ALWAYS HAD. I LOVE THIS MOVIE IT IS GREAT IT IS PACKED WITH ACTION. AND PAM AND FRED SHOWS THAT THEY NEVER LOST THEIR TOUCH. THIS IS AN ENJOYABLE FILM AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO LIKES BLAXPLOITATION FILMS.

Rating:
Summary: Original 70s Stars Reunited To Fight Back the New Gangstas
Review: This is something like a re-union party of the so-called blaxploitation film stars, which shows the whole world that those guys and ladies are still sexy and strong enough to teach some lessons to the young, disrespectful punks in the neighborhood of the city of Gary, Indiana. That's all about the story, which is as uninspired as any B-action flicks. "Original" gangstas come back to town, to fight against the "new" gangstars that rule the street with terror.

The charm of the film lies in the cast, which looks a dream team for any fans of the 1970s blaxploitaion films. Here they are back in good form:

Fred Williamson ("Black Caesar"), Jim Brown ("Slaughter"), Pam Grier ("Coffy"), Richard Roundtree ("Shaft") and Ron O'Neil ("Superfly")

and you got also players like Robert Forster (who in the following year makes a smashing collaboration with Pam Grier in "Jackie Brown") and Wings Hauser in his very unlikely role. It is a gift from the heaven for the movie fans like me.

Before you watch, however, be warned. The film is virtually lead by Fred Williamson's character, and his screen time is the longest of the five (and this film is co-produced by him). Jim Brown and Pam Grier are given fair chance of doing something better than cameo roles, but Roundtree and O'Neil both appear very short. Though the "re-union" film will please the fans of the stars, director Larry Cohen barely manages to shoot those five stars in a single frame only once, but perhaps that's the best he could do.

As many other Cohen's films are, "Original Gangstas" is based on a good idea, but put into practice in a not-so-good way. It starts solidly, but gradually gets confused and unnecessarily violent. Nevertheless, for the people who love those stars, the film somehow delivers. I only wish that Tim Barton or Quention Tarantino would do the same thing.

Rating:
Summary: THEY'RE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER!
Review: What a collection of stars you'll never see again! Superfly, Foxy Brown, Black Caesar, football star Jim Brown and Shaft. It's the Superfriends of Blaxploitation films! Yes, it's violent and the plot is basic. Don't expect to be intellectully stimulated, however this film will entertain you. The action is great and so are the one liners! This is a must see for any fan of the genre. Don't know what to rent tonight? Rent ORIGINAL GANGSTAS!