between the mafia and the police, but rather trichotomous, as it is between the black mafia, the Italian mafia, and the cops. Thus the battle between the cops and the mafia is not dichotomous i.e. It has long been a cliché of the Crime genre to rest its plot on the tension between the cops and the mafia, or between two cops with two completing styles of policing, and while Across 110 th Street certainly has that, it also has an added layer of tension that most of the genre lacks, especially the films made before 1970 as it has the added tension of race. The chief reason Across 110 th Street works as well as it does is because of its strong characters. While these stories are going on, several other stories also play out against the backdrop of early 1970’s Harlem, giving the film an epic feel. While the two men try to discover who was behind the hit, two competing mafias are also fighting with the black mafia being led by the mob boss Doc Johnson (Richard Ward) while the white (Italian) side is led by mob lieutenant Nick D’Salvio (Anthony Franciosa), a violent and sociopathic man. The other is Lieutenant William Pope (Yaphet Kotto), a much more intelligent man who pays closer inspection to police protocol, but also deeply inexperienced. One cop is Captain Frank Mattelli (Anthony Quinn), an aging cop who wile crude and racist, is also highly experienced. Following a hit on a mob holdout in which five gangsters (three black and three white) and two policemen (one black and one white) are killed, two diametrically opposed New York City cops are put on the case. The very core of the story is, to be sure a Heist film. The film also has a good deal to say about American race relations during the time in which it was made.Īt first glance, the film looks to be something of Heist film in addition to being a Blaxploitation film and while that is certainly part of the story, Across 110 th Street also reveals itself to be a sprawling story with many different narratives that manages to come together quite nicely. As excellent as that song is, the fact that Across 110 th Street is known chiefly for that today is pretty sad because this is an excellent movie with not only a great soundtrack, but also several fine performances, an outstanding script, and excellent direction. Made during the early days of Blaxploitation, between the time after the genre was established and popularized with Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Shaft, but before the Blaxploitation explosion of 19, Across 110 th Street is not as well-known as many of its contemporaries, and is today mostly remembered for its theme song by Bobby Womack.
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