Original Gangstas [VHS]
Larry Cohen scratched out some of the most memorably offbeat  exploitation films of the 1970s, including two of the most energetic  blaxploitation action classics:Black Caesarand its sequel,Hell  Up in Harlem, which made a star of Fred Williamson. In 1996 they  reunited for this tribute to the good old days and producer-star Williamson brought along a few of his fellow 1970s blaxplo icons: Jim Brown  (Slaughter), Pam Grier (Foxy Brown), Richard Roundtree  (Shaft), and Ron O'Neal (Superfly). They play old friends and former members of a neighborhood gang in economically depressed Gary,  Indiana, who reunite when a new generation of gangbangers using their old  street name, the Rebels, turns the city into a war zone. It's great fun to  see the old faces back on the screen--Williamson is still buff and tough,  and Brown and Grier have become more charismatic with age--but they're let  down by a slack script and lazy direction despite an almost nonstop  barrage of gunfights and back-alley brawls. Even with revved-up 1990s  firepower, the film never really captures the explosive energy of the films  that made their reputations. You're better off seeing the originals. Paul  Winfield and Isabel Sanford also star, and Cohen casts cult faves Charles  Napier, Wings Hauser, and Robert Forster in supporting roles.--Sean  Axmaker