Rating: 
Summary: good idea but bad come out
Review: Fred Williamson(Black Ceasar, From Dusk Till Dawn) is John Bookman and he returns home after his father is shot up by a gang called the rebels, a gang he formed back in his day, led by Spyro and Damien..two ruthless thugs who changed the gang from what it used to be, the rebels think they own the streets. well Bookman and co. join forces to try to stop them. an allstar cast including Jim Brown(Mars Attacks,Salughter) Ron O'Neal(Superfly), Pam Grier(Ghost Of Mars, Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown), Paul Winfield(Mars Attacks, The Terminator), Richard Roundtree(Antitrust, Shaft, Corky Romando) and many more. takes its toll on the 70's black films but is too much uninspired with wooden performances and a lack of, anything...was expecting much more
Rating: 
Summary: I remember those times
Review: I was born in Gary Indiana where this story is supposed to take place. I used to buy donuts from the bakery and go to the theater that is mentioned in this movie. I was even born at the hospital were Fred Williamson's character goes to see his father. Fortunately for me I joined the service just as the city was starting to decay. I enjoyed watching some of my favorite black action stars walking the same streets as I did when I was kid. For nostalgia's sake it is a good film.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT!
Review: I'M A FAN OF THE HAMMER AND THIS ONE IS A BLAST! ORIGINAL GANGSTAS IS TOO MUCH FUN! LOVED EVERY SECOND OF THIS!
Rating:
Summary: great re-union of 70's actionmovie st ars
Review: if your a film buff, and wanted to see just outta curiosity
what happened to the black star's of the early 70's...see this movie, sorry to say that most of the aging star's except for pam grier now could be cast in a new version of sanford and son...as fred's old buddies from the hood drinking
grape ripple. it was a good social commentary of life in gary,
indiana and how dependent that city was on the steel mills and the off shoot business's that gradually closed down, see this movie on a saturday afternoon,,,but if you have to mow the lawn or paint the house...you'd be better off doing that.
Rating:
Summary: great re-union of 70's actionmovie st ars
Review: if your a film buff, and wanted to see just outta curiosity
what happened to the black star's of the early 70's...see this movie, sorry to say that most of the aging star's except for pam grier now could be cast in a new version of sanford and son...as fred's old buddies from the hood drinking
grape ripple. it was a good social commentary of life in gary,
indiana and how dependent that city was on the steel mills and the off shoot business's that gradually closed down, see this movie on a saturday afternoon,,,but if you have to mow the lawn or paint the house...you'd be better off doing that.
Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL GANGSTAS Review
Review: In a reunion of the big-name 70's blaxplotation stars, you can expect a whole lot of fun. They're all here. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam "Foxxy Brown" Grier, Richard "Shaft" Roudntree, and Superfly himself, Ron O'Neal. A host of other infamous character actors and some of today's big name underground rappers also show up for this bullet-riddled nostalgia pic.It's "old school" versus "new school" as the Rebels, a gang once known simply for protecting their neighborhood has transformed into a gang of thugs who specialize in drive-by shootings and drug dealing. This doesn't sit well with the gang's founding members who reunite with the support of the community to clean up the streets once and for all. While not nearly as energetic and entertaining as many of the 70's pics that it is paying homage to, "Original Gangstas" does have fun while delivering a solid anti-violence message. Seeing all your old favorites strap up again makes for some real good times. There are also some good performances from relative unknowns like Christopher Duncan as the leader of the new Rebels and rapper Dru Down as the group's loud-mouthed "trigger man". Also look for rappers, Scarface and Bushwick Bill in cameos. A genuine good time.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good in Spots
Review: it's a Wonderful Cast.but the film doesn't really go anywhere new or different.still it's Wonderful Seeing So Many Great's From The 70's Trying To Get The Neighborhood in Order.THis is a Dream Cast.
Rating: 
Summary: Fred "The Hammer" is the man!
Review: Many consider Shaft the icon of blaxploitation flicks. And as much as I like him, I feel Fred Williamson is the true tough guy of blaxploitation. He's tough, suave, menacing, and smokes a cigar! I'd start out with Black Caesar or Hell Up in Harlem, but this film is great. Seeing him together with Pam grier(I've always had a thing for her), Roundtree, and O'Neal(Priest, man!) is awsome. Watching these guys go toe to toe with young gang banger punks who think they're really something is a treat. In the end they show us who the original gangstas really are! This was brought to you by the guy who made the It's Alive movies(Remember? About the mutant babies?) and The Stuff(Remember that one? About the addictive killer dessert?) and writer of the upcoming Phonebooth movie. You must see it, you must!
Rating:
Summary: Fred "The Hammer" is the man!
Review: Many consider Shaft the icon of blaxploitation flicks. And as much as I like him, I feel Fred Williamson is the true tough guy of blaxploitation. He's tough, suave, menacing, and smokes a cigar! I'd start out with Black Caesar or Hell Up in Harlem, but this film is great. Seeing him together with Pam grier(I've always had a thing for her), Roundtree, and O'Neal(Priest, man!) is awsome. Watching these guys go toe to toe with young gang banger punks who think they're really something is a treat. In the end they show us who the original gangstas really are! This was brought to you by the guy who made the It's Alive movies(Remember? About the mutant babies?) and The Stuff(Remember that one? About the addictive killer dessert?) and writer of the upcoming Phonebooth movie. You must see it, you must!
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..
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