Paul Benjamin, Ed Bernard, and Antonio Fargas disguised as policemen raid a mob numbers bank and rip it off to the tune of $300,000.00. But the getaway is pretty bloody. Five gangsters and two real policemen wind up dead.

The film is a race against time because two parallel manhunts are at work for these perpetrators. The captain of the local police precinct Anthony Quinn is under pressure to bring in these cop killers. It's not clear whether Quinn's connection to the local black gangster crew who run the operation for the mafia is going to help or hinder his investigation.

In the meantime the local Don has sent his son-in-law Anthony Franciosa to head his own manhunt for the robbers. Of course they have sources that the cops don't have.

Of course the methods aren't too much different. Miranda warnings were a new thing at the time and Quinn is an old timer who really doesn't believe in them. The way Quinn and Franciosa interrogate doesn't leave too much room for difference, except that Quinn's subjects were still breathing after it was over.

This film probably has more bad people in it than any other that came along until Goodfellas came out. Yaphett Kotto as a cop sent from headquarters to monitor the situation is probably the only decent one among the principal players.

The best performances in the film are by Tony Franciosa who is never bad in anything and Richard Ward who may work for the Italian mob, but is by no means a lackey. He's determined to wind up a winner no matter what happens to Quinn and Franciosa.

It's a gritty look at the seamy side of law enforcement and its also gangsters without the Godfather glamor.


Unlike in most reviews there are to find on "Across 110th Street", I will try not to participate in the debate about whether or not the film classifies as a genuine Blaxploitation effort. I will, however, elaborate as much as I can on all the things that "Across 110th" does represent  and that is quite a lot! This is a bona fide gritty, vile, uncompromising and unceasingly violent action-thriller from the glorious early 70's. It's a hardcore-to-the-bone tale of corruptness and survival with solid acting performances and a tight screenplay, yet without pushy morality lessons or unnecessary sentimental interludes. "Across 110th Street" is arguably the best Blacks Vs Italians thriller ever made, and this intervened with a strong story about two completely unmatchable cops that are forced to work together results in an unimaginably powerful and unforgettable movie; albeit one that only can be enjoyed by people with strong stomachs and nerves of steel as the bloodshed is relentless and the level of suspense is unremitting. Petty thief Jim Harris and his two accomplices decide to steal a large sum of money from the Italian Mafiosi that are running the show in Harlem. The heist goes terribly wrong, though, and Harris kills no less than five gangsters and two police officers. The Italians send their most lethal psychopath to Harlem and the black gangster community organizes their own manhunt as well. Meanwhile the police force deals with internal racial issues. The aging and corrupt but veteran Captain Mattelli is forced to hand over the investigation to Lieutenant Pope, who's fresh out of university and still full of ideals. This is one of the grittiest and frighteningly realistic depictions of the crime-infested New York City district during the early 70's. There are hardly any amiable characters in the entire film, the ambiance is constantly on the verge of depressing and the downbeat ending comes a massive slap in the face. The racial tension between the "main" police officer characters is always present and noticeable, yet moral values and speeches are never shoved down the viewers' throats. The performances are incredible, particularly Anthony Franciosa as the crazed mafia killer and Paul Benjamin as the small thief turned murderer. But the utmost respect is for Anthony Quinn, for courageously illustrating a dismal and raw cop-character with his status in Hollywood. The soul soundtrack is amazing and the actual Harlem filming locations make the film all the more authentic. Barry Shear's direction is surefooted and tight, and I can't believe I haven't checked out some of his other work yet. I still have a copy of "The Todd Killings" lying around, so I hope it's as masterful as this film!


"Across 110th Street" was more than just a cliché (yet it was full of them), it was deep and developed (yet had a simplistic story about cops and criminals), it was gritty and honest (yet overly-so enough to make you gasp, not laugh), and it was pure, uncut, cinematic genius from beginning to the wildly unseen ending. There were plenty of pitfalls for "Across 110th Street" to fall into, but it continually saved itself by being genuine and dark throughout. While the editing, albeit pure 70s cinema, was completely tangent, the film itself demonstrated the raw force of truth, giving us a rare (yet fictional) story of the changing of the guard in Harlem, the truth of its streets, and the minds of its criminals.

Sounding like a scene right out of "Dead Presidents", our story begins with three African Americans stealing money from the mob, only to transform the simple robbery into a battleground, equipped with machine gun fire and plenty of cops caught in the line of fire. Needless to say, both sides  the Italian mob who currently has a strong hold on the crime in Harlem  as well as both the upcoming African American police Lieutenant (played by Yaphet Kotto) and the decaying corrupt Captain (played by Anthony Quinn)  are ready to do whatever it takes to bring these men to justice. Our plot device suddenly becomes a ticking clock, with our minds in constant question as to who is going to get to the finish line first. What keeps this cliché device from sounding stale is director Barry Shear's ability to take us through each of the three story lines with nobody eating from the sweet cake of victory at any given time. "Across 110th Street" is not a comfortable story. The characters are flawed, the imagery is sandpaper rough, and the language is honest. Shear has made this film during a time where corruption is used to represent the mindset of the community. Harlem is not shown in a productive light, but then neither is the police nor the mob. What makes "Across 110th Street" feel like a science experiment is that you see the decay of the community implode systematically. From the simple thugs who begin the robbery, to the Italian mob who is just as brutal but with better suits, all the way to the police who use the same tactics, but are protected (supposedly) by a badge, this film explores the explosion of corruption in a bold new way that eliminates cliché, yet builds on honesty.

Shear's ability to build the story into the camera's frame is only the stepping stone of this film. The unrelenting ending could only have occurred with the power of the actors in front of the camera. Their work is simple, at times one could even call it amateurish, but Quinn and Kotto do a phenomenal job of keeping the story, and their characters, grounded at all times. Their beats could have been tightened, but their flaws build upon the chaos of this story. Their facial expressions alone are worth their weight in gold, especially Quinn's ending glare. As Quinn and Kotto were our leads for this film, what stands out is how similar they are to their flawed mobsters and criminals. With our lead mobsters racism coupled with our medial issues of our criminals, we see a blend between them all. While they are all different characters, Shear brings them all together with small similarities. For someone jumping into the middle of this film, one would have trouble guessing who were the "real" bad guys, the guys with the guns or the guys with the badges. That is the next layer of "Across 110th Street" that could be used in any film studies class across the nation. Not just the visuals of a time filled with racial disgust, but also the fact that the racial divide wasn't in just black and white. Harlem owns the police, yet they are there to uphold the law  while perhaps not exactly like that in Harlem today  one can see this happening throughout the world in modern society.

Finally, one cannot end a review of "Across 110th Street" without mentioning the music  which was icing on the hypothetical cake. To me, the sounds captured the era, the chaos of the music coupled well with the violence happening on screen. The two blended perfectly together, giving us not just a taste of an explosive Harlem, but also the sounds that may have accompanied it. As a child of the 80s, I never was witness to this  so to see it (albeit in a form of fiction) only helped to heighten the awareness of this era in NYC.

Overall, "Across 110th Street" was a violent, loud, and turbulent film that was laced with clichés that were forgotten by the next scene. One could easily watch this film on late-night television and never quite see the power behind Shear's camera, or Quinn's acting ability (that final scene still haunts me), or the challenging music that accompanied our visuals, but watching it on a bright and sunny Saturday, the excellence of this film comes full force. The acting was at a perfect pitch for this film, the corruption that Shear demonstrates from across three spectrums adds a level of honesty to a film that could have easily been lost by another director. "Across 110th Street" reminded me of early Scorsese work, the raw grittiness of the city, a city that Shear loved (he filmed in Harlem), coupled with the powerful imagery took me to "Mean Streets" and "Goodfellas", but not "The Departed". This is a cannon of a film, one that should be watched and retained for the sheer honesty of the work, while it is fiction it holds a bit of truth to the turbulence of the world.

Grade: ***** out of *****


I couldn't agree more with the positive comments on this film. First, the way the film captures grimy, raw Manhattan of the early 70's, beginning with a roaming helicopter shot of the city. OK, the film is slated under the genre of "Blaxploitation". Is it? Who cares, I love them all. If they could only make films like this these days, instead of poor attempts at remakes of classics (Shaft, for example). Although it would be near difficult to get actors nearing the talent of Quinn and Koto. Excellent casting throughout the film for that matter. Yaphett Koto also appears the same year in "Live and Let Die.", probably one of the best 007 movies ever. He puts in a marked performance in that film as well. Pick this movie up (may prove difficult at outlets the likes of Blockbuster) and enjoy the acting, photography, stunts, music (Bobby Womack) etc. You will recognize some other faces in this film including Burt Young (non-speaking role)(Rocky films) and Antonio Fargas (aka - Huggy Bear/Starsky & Hutch).


I saw Across 110th St. many years ago and to this day it's one of my favorite crime flicks of the 70s, right up there with The Godfather, Serpico, and Dirty Harry. If you're gonna make a movie about the gritty, dangerous hardcore mafia underworld, you shouldn't sugar-coat it in any way. IMHO this is the best thing this movie has going for it: it's realism. There's no Hollywood-style heroism here, just human nature at its worst. Psychopathic Mafia hit-man, corrupt cop on the take, brutal violence, ruthless crime bosses, greedy crooks, all told without soft-core political correctness. Movies of this type really should show the mob society as it is, without coloration, that's how they make an impact on their audience. This one, I must say, does a pretty good job at that. Not perfect, mind you, I also thought Franciosa's character was a little over the top, but good. My rating: 10/10

Also if you don't like sadistic violence, don't see this one. See Law and Order


This time capsule frames the the end of an era that we can all look back to. One can also learn what it meant to be an oppressed black man, a junior mobster or a tired NYC detective in that late sixties era. Insight to the workings of the black Harlem underground of the day and the viciousness of the Italian Mafia by night. So believable, the writer had to have lived some part of this classic. Unlike any movie before,I rooted for every character depicted. Anthony Quinns determination and Yaphets silence both show the past and future of the entities being played out. The bathroom scene between the two cops was a highlight for me. This is not a blaxploitation movie it is a NYC movie. This movie is a treasure and I thank God it has not been remade.


110th Street in New York City is the dividing line between Central Park and Harlem. In the film Across 110th Street that line becomes apparent. The film opens with two white men arriving at a brownstone in Harlem. We learn that they are mob bag men sent to collect the week's gambling receipts from two black associates. Amidst their money counting there is a knock on the doortwo black men dressed in NYPD uniforms barge their way in,gun down the four men in the room and take the $300,000 they were counting. They then shoot their way past two real policemen with the help of their getaway driver. This opening scene sets the tone of the film and it is a grim tone at that. After the robbery-murders, the scene shifts to an apartment in Central Park where the mob boss informs his son-in-law and glorified errand-boy Nick D'Salvo (Anthony Franciosa) that he is in charge of exacting revenge against the men who ripped them off. Naturally,the mob is not the only organization interested in finding the killers. With two cops dead, the NYPD are keen on finding them as well. Captain Frank Matelli (Anthony Quinn) a veteran detective well-known in Harlem, is assigned to the case. He finds out in short order that in spite of his high rank, he is ordered to report to Lieutenant Pope (Yaphet Kotto) because of the racial politics involved. Matelli, who is a racist and not above roughing up a suspect, chafes at the order, but abides it. Pope tolerates Matelli because of Matelli's informers and friends on the force who can help solve the case. As the film plays out D'Salvo and Doc Johnson the black crime boss who runs Harlem for D'Salvo's father-in-law hunt down the three men responsible for the theft and murders. At the same time, Pope and Matelli are looking for the same three men and trying to get to them before D'Salvo does. Director Barry Shear makes the most of the authentic Harlem locations in which this film is shot. It is very interesting to look back on what Harlem looked like in 1972. Most of it was not very pretty or charming. Anthony Quinn (who was one of the executive producers) brings a certain gravitas to his role as the bitter, veteran police captain. Quinn was always a very expressive and naturalistic actor and he does not disappoint in this role. Yaphet Kotto also delivers an outstanding performance in his role as the progressive Lieutenant Pope. The scenes where he and Quinn lock horns are emotionally charged and quite good. Franciosa comes close to going over the top as the vengeful Nick D'Salvo but he never quite gets there. The film features a supporting cast of faces familiar to fans of the blaxploitation genrealthough this is not a blaxploitation film. Blaxploitation films such as Black Caesar, Shaft or Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song feature black protagonists who get to "stick it to the man" and be the hero. In Across 110th Street there are no heroes. No one is the "good guy". This is a violent and relentless film. But it is realistic, very well made and worth watching for fans of the crime genre.


- Across 110th Street is definitely a product of its time. Although it's lumped in with the Blaxplotation movies of its day, it's really doesn't belong with those films. While films like Foxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones, and Superfly featured larger than life characters that border on being comic book characters, Across 110th Street seeks to give a more accurate portrait of what was happening in the inner-cities in the early 1970s. Sure, the events have been fictionalized, but the gritty truth is just under the surface. These aren't pretty pictures with pretty Hollywood actors. These are people with little hope for the future. They're almost forced to take chances with their lives and lives of their loved ones to make a better future for themselves. It's ugly and totally fascinating at the same time. Across 110th Street is movie not to be missed.


I came to Across 11th Street by a very strange route - I heard the title song by Bobby Womack on the soundtrack to Jackie Brown. When I looked up the film in Halliwell's Film Guide it came highly recommended as one of the finest examples of its genre. I wasn't disappointed.

If anything, political correctness and sensitivities to some extent reduce the ability of modern TV and film to examine racial attitudes - but this film meets them head on. It doesn't condone the criminals but it does try to explain their circumstances and it's study of racism within the NYPD is brutal in comparison with NYPD Blue.

The violence is truly brutal - as it should be.


"Wild in the Streets" director Barry Shear's pulsating blaxploitation thriller "Across 110th Street" is a gritty, realistic crime caper about three trigger-happy African-Americans that heist $300-thousand of illicit drug money from the Mafia during a secret meeting in Harlem. Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto play the two high-ranking N.Y.P.D. officers that scramble to nab the trio before Mafia kingpin Anthony Franciosa can lay his hands on them with help of local black hoodlums. Apparently, it looks like Shear shot about 90 per cent of this white-knuckled actioneer on location in the ghettos of Harlem. None of the settings look like they were constructed on a sound stage. When people are wounded in "Across 110th Street," they bleed bright red blood and the body count is reasonably high for this 1972 movie. The single drawback to this no-nonsense, high-octane, shoot'em up is the shortage of sympathetic characters. Essentially, there is nobody to identify with in Luther Davis's screenplay and nobody emerges as a role model. Quinn gives a gruff performance as a thirty year veteran police captain who would rather beat a confession out of a suspect than coddle him. Kotto strives to stick with the rule book. Actually, Kotto's Lieutenant Pope qualifies as the most likable character. Conversely, Anthony Franciosa steals the movie as the son of a Mafia boss who has to prove his mettle and does he ever. He castrates one of the thieves and dangles another off the side of a high-rise under construction.

The action gets off to a violent start as a group of black and white buttoned down African-Americans and Italians are counting greenbacks in a seedy apartment building. Two N.Y.P.D. cops hammer at the door and warn the occupants about a parking violation. When one of the black gangstas tries to bribe them, the two cops burst into the room. Jim Harris (Paul Benjamin of "Escape from Alcatraz") and Joe Logart (Ed Bernard of "Blue Thunder") masquerade as New York's finest. Harris wields a lightweight machine gun and covers the five mobsters while his partner stuffs wads of cash into a suitcase. Look closely and you see future "Rocky" co-star Burt Young as one of the Italians. One of the African-American hoods makes a play for his automatic pistol, and Harris mows down everybody in sight with his machine gun fire. They plunge down the stairs and scramble into an old checkered cab painted black. Getaway driver Henry J. Jackson (Antonio Fargas of "Cleopatra Jones") careens away from the tenement only to run into trucks that block his route and cops come sprinting out of nowhere. Harris wipes a black cop and a white cop with bursts of machine gun fire before the villains can extract themselves from their predicament.

The Italian Mafia isn't happy about this hold-up, and Nick D'Salvio (Anthony Franciosa of "Rio Conchos") is sent into Harlem to make an example of these three. Initially, Nick runs afoul of local Harlem kingpin Doc Johnson (Richard Ward of "Mandingo"), whose resemblance to legendary Harlem racketeer Bumpy Johnson is unmistakable. Later, the cops arrive in droves with Captain Frank Mattelli (Anthony Quinn of "The Guns of Navarone") heading up the investigation until another officer (Tim O'Conner) pulls him aside and points out that a younger guy, Lieutenant Pope (Yaphet Kotto of "Live and Let Die") has been assigned to the case for political reasons because he is black and the crime occurred in Harlem. A thirty-year veteran who conducts an investigation his own way, Mattelli rubs Pope the wrong way, but he knows the ropes better and gets results that Pope cannot because he doesn't have as well oiled a machine. As it turns out, Mattelli is on the take and likes to take a snort when things get tough. Comparably, Pope doesn't drink and he is honest. Meanwhile, D'Salvio makes more headway than either Mattelli or Pope. He catches Henry J. having the time of his life at a local brothel and tortures the hopped up thug, eventually castrating him. When they learn about Henry J.'s unfortunate fate, both Logart and Harris decide it is time to head off for greener pastures. D'Salvio catches up with Logart and throws him off a building. The more sympathetic of the thieves, Harris, appears to be home free but he forgets to take his medication with him and the mob tracks him down.

Director Barry Shear pulls no punches. "Across 110th Street" is all about paying the consequences for your actions and everybodybut Lt. Popehas to pay the price before this riveting law & order opus is over. As well-made but unsavory as "Across 110th Street" is, the film didn't do much for Shear's career. He spent most of his life shooting name dropping television series, but "Across 110th Street" holds up for the most part and squeamish spectators should stay away from this bloodbath.


The Bad Old Days indeed! As a New Yorker, I found this film to be a grim reminder of how much more lawless and dilapidated New York was during this time period.

I won't rehash the generally accurate comments of the other reviewers other than to say that this is one of the best cinematic deglamorizations of crime (and law enforcement) ever.

Anthony Franciosa is just great as a Mafia enforcer. He's still the same nice, personable guy people my age remember from 60s and 70s television. You really want to be his friend. A great smile and a comforting manner. A demeanor he maintains without a crease while he maims, tortures and kills! One of the most skilled---and frightening---performances of all time. Anthony Quinn is also excellent as a corrupt police captain who has deluded himself into believing that he still has some ethics.

The graphic violence, sex, profanity, and ethnic slurs take it light years out of the family viewing category and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach. I don't think the "blaxploitation" label many apply to this film is accurate. The best I can think of is "noir verite". Don't miss this one!


Remembered as one of the earliest television directors, Barry Shear made occasional visits to the motion picture industry and created a handful of serviceable films dating from 1968. Of this small group, the urban crime drama 'Across 110th Street' will probably remain his best-known, although it seems destined for eternal life in obscurity.

'Across 110th Street' was released on the advent of blaxploitation films and other urban Black dramas, making it cutting edge for its time. However, this nasty, unremitting tale of ghetto life has little of the veneer and stylization that have made other 1970s titles like 'Shaft' and 'Truck Turner' endure in the American conscience. 'Across 110th Street,' for all of its violence and anger, is understated and keeps glamor completely out of the loop.

Borrowing from a novel by Wally Ferris, 'Across 110th Street' is centered on three Harlem men who are desperate to escape their poor backgrounds: ex-convict and apartment super Jim Harris (Paul Benjamin), dry cleaner Joe Logart (Ed Bernard), and playboy Henry Jackson (Antonio Fargas). The three friends barge into a mafia cash count with Harris and Logart disguised as police officers and Jackson driving their getaway car. They speed off with $300,000, leaving behind seven dead men, including two cops.

Harris, Logart, and Jackson spend their time hiding from an investigation by older, White detective Mattelli (Anthony Quinn) and young, Black lieutenant Pope (Yaphet Kotto) while avoiding Black mobster Doc Johnson (Richard Ward) and Italian mafioso Nick D'Salvio (Anthony Franciosa), who are looking to recover their stake. The hunt for these three men becomes a race between two factions, the police and organized crime, with racial tensions being set off along the way.

Unlike better-known blaxploitation films that combine social problems with heroic acts, 'Across 110th Street' uses a completely naturalistic setting, where everyone from citizens to cops are looking merely to stay alive; mob men drive fear into innocent people, cops take kickbacks from drug and gambling rings, and those raised in poverty go to unthinkable extremes for a few extra dollars. The entire atmosphere of '110th' is grim, unsettling, and unremitting, with no one immune from the sickness of modern life.

Barry Shear's direction is strong, bringing out excellent performances by Quinn, Kotto, Benjamin, and the supporting cast. While Shear's style of direction is not very imaginative, he makes use of tight surroundings to create the hot, claustrophobic aura that 'Across 110th Street' needs. Most of the film is shot in confined locations, such as tenements, small businesses, and police precincts, which Shear uses to magnify the friction between each character.

The film (co-produced by Shear, Quinn, and three others) seems to have been made on a limited budget, as indicated by its below-average technical work. The photography by Jack Priestley is quite good, but there are off-moments involving out-of-sync dialogue and poor Foley effects. This in no way spoils the film's impact, but the overall quality is somewhat pulled down. The score by J.J. Johnson (with solos by Bobby Womack) does hold up nicely, always with a feel of menace.

Even with Black dramas from the 1970s being rediscovered, 'Across 110th Street' seems to lag considerably behind other titles. Quentin Tarentino's borrowing of the title song for use in 'Jackie Brown' has helped to give the film some new exposure, perhaps enough to bring a modern-day reevaluation. But for now, '110th' holds its place as a forgotten landmark of Black film-making, still entertaining a limited audience.

'Across 110th Street' has been given a (surprise!) mediocre release by MGM Home Video as part of its Soul Cinema collection. The film is presented in widescreen with Dolby enhancement of the original mono track; Spanish and French 'dubbing' are offered besides three-language subtitles. The film's print is in good condition with some visible artifacts and occasional grain. The audio is poorly balanced, however, with dialogue often muffled by adjacent noise. It seems that the film has been repaired to an extent, but MGM didn't go far enough to make 'Across 110th Street' the pristine film it could be. And once again, Dolby enhancement serves as a handicap, not an improvement, to pre-stereo films. The theatrical trailer, also in fair shape, is offered as an extra.

*** out of 4

Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr


Urban crime drama doesn't get much better and tighter than this. This is absolutely one of the best, if not the best crime movie from the seventies I have seen. And I have not seen too many of them done after that, which can pass the test of time quite as strongly. After having seen this one now several times it still hits hard every time and probably keeps doing it. The tension and drama is such, it does not let go easily.

It is also a crime movie with some social commentary. Some of the characters and situations are a little exaggerated of course, but that does not take anything away from the otherwise realistic mood and style. Presenting things from the view of the world of crime allows them to be seen culminated and be observed from the relationships of different people and groups starting to clash and finally boiling over to a state of war. Here it is 300.000 dollars of stolen mob money that gets everyone on their toes and against each other. It is a cynical view on who uses who, who gets the biggest part of the cake and survives at the end. The ways of the world squeezed into a metropolis underworld.

The director has used a lot of close low angle shots, hand-held camera and a minimum of lighting, which creates a very realistic look and an almost claustrophobic feeling of things and the whole city closing in on people. The viewer is either closed in too in the middle of the happening or variably blocked out to stay further by spectators, traffic etc. and both ways are adding heavily to drama and tension. Strong role works, specially from Quinn and Kotto add even more. Excellent!


CONTAIN SPOILERS Three poor little Harlem guys try to become some big men by stealing some dirty money. The three are touching : Henry J. Jackson (Antonio Fargas) is the goofy guy who can not do anything else than spending lots of bucks in a flashy way, Joe Logart (Ed Bernard) try to escape in a goofy way, Jim Harris (Paul Benjamin) struggles with epilepsy, dreams of a cool life in Jamaica with his beautiful woman, throw bullets on adults and bucks on children. Two cops are trying to find them : the old white Capt. Mattelli (Anthony Quinn) and the young black Lt. Pope (Yaphet Kotto). The old one uses violence, accepts dirty money from the Black mob, drinks alcohol, begins to be fed up with his job. The young one uses speech, refuses dirty money, does not drink alcohol, begins to think it would be better that he take the old one's chair. But two mobs are trying to find the three poor guys too : the Black mob and the Italian mob, each of them full of great villains. Wonderful photography, powerful soundtrack, awesome actors (except Anthony Franciosa who overplays a little in my opinion), a violence as strong as in Martin Scorcese's Casino, a movie that dissuade to do bad things without using common preach. Rough and tough, as Michael Mann's Thief.


I stumbled across this masterpiece on the TV. It was an accident and I ended up admiring this film for its sheer attempt at portraying a realistic world. Great movie for intro to fun films of the 1970's.


Although the plot is rather ordinary, this film is generally much better than most blaxploitation entries, thanks to hard-hitting direction, powerful performances (Kotto is a standout), thoughtful script and multi-dimensional characters. However, it is recommended only to those with strong stomachs, since it is exceptionally violent and bloody. (***)


Skirting at least some of the clichés of blaxploitation, ACROSS 110TH STREET is an entertaining mess. Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto play NYC cops and unlikely partners trying to find out who stole some mafia loot and killed a couple of cops in the process. Anthony Franciosa is an inept low-level mafiosi also hunting for the culprits. Quinn and Kotto are actually pretty dull, but Paul Benedict gives an electrifying performance as the lead thief. He's well matched with Norma Donaldson as his sympathetic wife. Antonio Fargas also appears in a brief, and of course, flamboyant role. It's a ridiculous and violent time-capsule capturing the nearly bankrupt NYC of the early 1970s...and it's tough to beat that Bobby Womack music. Directed by Barry Shear, who came from television and promptly went back to television.


Three hoods take out a Mafia racket in $300,000, but since they killed a couple of their kind as well. The Mafia and the Harlem heavyweights join forces in tracking down the men. Captain Mattielli is on the case, but because of the situation he's soon following orders from the up-and-coming, well-educated Lieutenant Pope. Not only are they in a race to get their hands on the three men before the mafia does, but also confronting their own personal plight.

Barry Shear's powerful, smart, cynical and nitty gritty crime thriller "Across 110th Street" that stars three gut-busting performances by Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto and the amazing Tony Franciosa is a worthy payout and one of the best of its era. Shear's workman-like style is naturally imposing and tersely tight knit in its realistic delivery. Violence is bloody, hard-hitting and it leads to excellent rapid-fire finale. Everything about it is smoothly paced and the editing is effectively done. The rough, unsparing and potent atmospheric New York Harlem setting is extremely heavy with its depressing nature and expertly photographed with a raw touch. Providing much of grunt and rattle also was the saucy, upbeat music score and crackerjack soundtrack that complemented the visuals superbly. Luther Davis' vivid screenplay (adapted off Wally Ferris' novel) is thoughtfully drawn up in displaying a deprivation of a tough society and the politics used to grab the upper hand. The claustrophobic script cooks up many interesting sub-plots with authenticity and emotion, as the pulsating violence never overstays it's welcome because it's established through the material, then just being there for the sake of it. The moody performances are simply top-rate because of fully rounded characters. Quinn excels in his part as weary, hothead detective who sees his career coming to an end. Kotto's placid, sharp-shooting performance is sturdily tailored in staying on cruise control. Franciosa works very well to bringing underlining menace to his fruitful mafia character. A fashionable Richard Ward is relentlessly memorable as one of Harlem big heads. Antonio Fargas, Paul Benjamin, and Ed Bernard are good as the ill-fated black hoods. Gloria Hendry makes for a fine appearance too.

A well-observed and intense potboiler from the glorious 70s. Highly Recommended.


Sometime it seems that Hollywood stopped making good movies in 1970's. I was not familiar with this movie before I stumbled upon it in my local independent video store. What a wonderful surprise. This is a crime movie like no other. It doesn't make allowances to anybody. We see Mafia, and black gangs from Harlem, and cops both crooked, honest and those in between. In this dirty and hard world violence is an everyday occurrence and the movie is filled with ugly, horrible things. The director Mr.Shear doesn't use violence to excite or repel the viewers. That's just how it is in this desperate world full of broken people.


This incredible film was (mis)sold as a blaxploitation piece when it was released and, unfortunately, the label has stuck. (The US DVD is part of a black collection called "Soul Cinema").

Personally, I love blaxploitation movies for their brazen, unsubtle approach and mostly poor production values, but I can also understand why they do not interest a lot of people. Therein lies the tragedy of this great movie, as it bears very little resemblance to blaxploitation other than the fact that it has black people in it. It's pretty low budget, but it's a far cry from the clumsy and mindless tones of Bucktown, the gratuitous titillation of Coffy or the pounding social vengeance of Black Caesar. Even the better received titles like Shaft are unfair comparisons to this. This is no cheap thrill, this is very finely crafted and brilliantly acted piece of cinema.

Across 110th Street is really one third cop character piece, one third Mafia crime/revenge thriller, and one third (black) social drama. This could've been a very clumsy affair but is pulled off extraordinarily well by virtue of having a fantastic script, restrained (almost detached) direction and brilliant performances by a perfectly cast group of very talented actors. I won't single them out, I will simply say that this film boasts one of the best ensemble casts I have ever seen.

Not wanting to give too much away, the story involves three men from Harlem who steal $300,000 from the mob and spend the rest of the film evading both them and the police investigating the robbery. As if the engaging (if somewhat unoriginal by today's standards) story weren't enough, the real power of this movie is in its ability to evoke the bleak, grim and depressing world in which the story takes place. There is an anger and cynicism just beneath the surface of this movie which is held back so painfully that it will literally leave you numb for days. Every character here is ugly, hopeless, sad and resigned, save for the gangsters, but this is never overplayed. The angst never really gets out, and it stays with you long after the credits role.

In my opinion, post-classical Hollywood was American cinema's finest hour. There's a reason it's known as Hollywood's second golden age. What, for me, gives it the edge is that film-makers were suddenly not afraid to present the underbelly of American life - the other side of the American Dream - through real characters that were far from the ideal, wholesome heroes we were used to.

It's interesting that many of the comments here draw so much attention to the violence in this movie. While it is fairly strong, it's hardly abundant and it's never over the top or the least bit gratuitous. The best word to sum this film up, for me at least, is subtle. The subtlety and the almost indifferent way the film is presented allow it to really penetrate and get under the skin. There is a very precise and cynical sense of reality, which not only makes the film totally engrossing and believable but also makes it all the more moving as a consequence.


**SPOILERS** A bloody shootout in a Mafia safe-house apartment results in the rip off of $300,000.00 from the mob's Harlam bank. It also cost the lives of seven people including two members of the Mafia Gennaro family.

Old Don Gennaro, Frank Macetta, is worried about his operations in Harlem falling apart and has his young hot-shot and sadistic son-in-law Nick D'Salvio, Tony Franciosa,to get things back to normal. Nick starts by trying to get back the stolen loot with the help of the Mafia controlled Doc Johnson, Richard Ward,who runs their Harlem rackets.

The three, who knocked off the mob's monthly take, Jim Harris Joe Logart & Henry Jackson, Paul Benjamin Ed Bernard & Antonio Fargas,are marked for death not only by the Mafia and the Jackson Harlem syndicate but by the NYPD. Not just for ripping off the mob but for the murder of two policemen who tried to stop the trio's getaway.

Put in charge of the murder/robbery investigation is young and collage educated Let. Poke, Yaphet Kotto, which irritates the local police precincts Capt. Mattelli, Anthony Quinn, who feels he should be the one in charge. This causes friction not only between the two cops but the men of the 27th precinct who feel that Capt. Mattelli should run the investigation.

During the movie Capt. Mattelli grudgingly accepts the decision of Let. Poke being put in charge over him since he's been compromised by taking graft from Johnson for years, that will only hamper finding the three hoods who ripped the Johnson/Mafia off. Capt. Mattelli also learns only to late that once your in the pay of the mob the only way you can get out, or retire, of that squalid arraignment is in a pine box.

Extremely brutal crime/drama with two of the persons, Henry J. Jackson & Joe Logart, who dared to take the mob's ill-gotten gains ending up viciously tortured and murdered by the maniacal Nick D'Salvio, who took a sick and morbid glee in doing the two in.

The third man, and head, of the group of robbers Jim Harris was a lot harder and far more dangerous nut to crack and find by Nick and his hoods. Tracked down in an abandoned building in West Harlem. Jim alone with his common-law wife Gloria,Norma Donaldson, begins to freak-out when he get's epileptic seizures with no medication on hand to relive them. This time thing don't go off that well for Nick and both the Mafia and Johnson mob, like it did with both Joe & Henry. By the time the shootout was over the entire block, where Jim was holding out in, was left shot up and demolished together with Jim Nick and Gloria.

Superior crime/movie with a stand-out performance by a young, 34 at the time, Yaphet Kotto as Let. Poke who showed the overly brutal Capt. Mattelli that you don't get the same results in solving crimes with 1940's police tactics in the year 1972. Even more important it's a lot better to be an honest cop then a dirty one in both having a clear conscience and long lifespan.


Don't expect ACROSS 110TH STREET to carry the mile-high groove factor like the A.I.P. movies. This, being a very early entry to the blaxploitation genre, may have triggered controversy over its showing of racial violence to the general public. It was no doubt that 1970 introduced the phase anyway, with COTTON COMES TO HARLEM. Aside from any historical figures, the authentic detail of dark, inner-city Harlem life was the main attraction along with the bloody, nasty violence. Anthony Quinn's appearance doesn't matter, but Yaphet Kotto's indifferences with him add more juice to the film. "Blaxplo" fans have seen stuff like this before, but there are plenty of rough guts to chew on in this action drama where the ghetto is no place to hide or escape from. Another fine classic from the gritty 70s.


paul benjamin should have been nominated for best supporting actor academy award of 1972, excellant gangster film , it"s a classic this motion picture rates up there with little caesar , the godfather 1&2 the public enemy ,new jack city your truly, w.doc hudson


Well this movie is nothing special, I laugh at anyone who says it's the greatest crime drama ever, it's not, it's not even at the same level as "Heat", it's typical offensive Blaxploitation.

That about sums up the movie, except not as well known and not as effective as "Heat", Anthony Quinn and Yaphette are mirror images of Sidney Poitier's character and Rod Steiger. Pretty standard blaxplotation.

Quinn basically plays a racist police named Capt. Mattelli whose about as racist as they come beating up any black person in his path, unfortunately no one in this film gives him an equal amount of beatings.

Kotto as Lt. Pope who is working the case with him involving stolen loot of the mafia from a couple of black criminals.

Man all the characters in the movie are truly revolting black and white. Mattelli isn't the only racist cop, and in fact he's a hypocrite racist who is taking money from a black mafia kingpin!!!!! Truly hilarious.

There are other racist and corrupt white cops , and for a twist we have some black pimps and dealers who sell out their black partners in crime.

Really there isn't too much to say about the movie, it's a Blaxploitation, we all know how this bad films ends.

I do get a kick of Lt. Pope slamming the Captain down calling him a racist sob (which he is) and the Captain having the gall to change the subject: "You want my job, don't you!!!"

Not really he just wants you to stop being a white beatnik racist.

Anyhow only for true movie collectors of this type of cinema everyone else should avoid it.


I just finished watching this movie and I think it is one of the best I have seen in a long time. It manages to combine a ghost story, a love story or two, a teenage rivalry, a suspense-thriller, a get-even story, and a "I'm-not-telling" (grin) ending.

Children and adults can both enjoy this film. It manages to avoid any gorey scenes and yet includes plenty of rising suspense and timely comic relief.

The two youthful stars, Ricky and Elisha, are truly great actors and will no doubt have very long, very successful careers. I look forward to seeing them play in more movies soon because they certainly can act. The pair put quite a lot of "punch" into the story, making all aspects of it real and involving.

I really recommend you see this film. I think you will enjoy it no matter what age you are.


I remember watching this movie 9 years ago and almost forgot how good this movie was ...not scary at all ..a very decent ghost story with good acting especially Benjamin stiles as Ricky mabe ...its sad that these days they don't make movies like they used to make...a perfect movie which can be watched with your family on Sunday afternoon ...watch it if you like ghost stories.....can anybody tell where I can find the movie DVD or can even watch it online as it been ages I haven't watched this movie desperately wanna watch it....loved this movie ..you won't get bored watching this movie again and again ...believe it.


i didn't find this movie too bad.i was expecting something more intense.this is a fairly family friendly ghost story and there's nothing wrong with that.Elisha Cuthbert is the leading female character,while Ricky Mabe(whose career so far has been mostly TV series and a one or two TV movies)is the lead male character.the acting is fine,and the movie has bit of an eerie feel to it.however,i didn't really buy into the reason for the ghost haunting the estate.it just seemed too weak of an explanation to me.other than that,i don't have any major gripe with movie.like i said,it's pretty lite family fare,so you want see any blood or violence,and there's no bad language that i recall.it's rated PG for thematic material,but i don't think too many children over ten would have a problem with it.for me,"Believe" is a 7/10


This was Elisha Cuthbert's best performance. It amazes me that she even bothers with films like "The girl next door". She is so much better than that. Cant wait for the upcoming "Captivity" in which she plays the lead role as a young women chained to a guy in a cellar as the kidnapper plays with their minds. Back to this movie...see it just for Elisha. The basic boy meets girl with a twist. the boy has a ghost in his house and he and his gal pal try to help it move on.. Tragedies in their past is what brings the two together. The ghost is what makes the story interesting even though Katherine(Elisha) is the only person in town who "believes" him. Both have bitter guardians living at home which are very well acted. See the movie...don't want to spoil the story


Misbilled as a horror movie. It's a soggy waste of a ghost story. Not scary. And the ending is really, really lame. The entire plot is weak. It really could have been something. The grandfather's mansion is really nice and they should have used it more. Comes complete with a nearby cemetery. There was no big secret. The ghost died by accident. So, why is she moaning away every night? Well, the plot is warm and fuzzy enough to make you queasy. If you're looking for a Brady Bunch movie with a ghost, this is it. If you were looking for horror and scares, forget it. This thing wouldn't scare your pet. It's a real shame, some of the elements were there. Amazing house and scenery. But a really bad plot and script.


When I rented "Believe", I was expecting some cheesy ghost film. I was pleasantly surprised to find a good story, decent acting, and some actual chills. Even more surprising was the fact that the film makers pulled it off without graphic violence, nudity, or vulgar language which makes "Believe" a good film for the whole family to watch.

A mysterious woman in a red coat keeps making appearances at an old spooky house. Benjamin, a young man recently expelled from school for practical jokes and sent to live with his grandfather, attempts to find out who she is and how he can help her.

The house staff all know about her, but won't talk. The cranky old grandfather vehemently denies she exists. With the help of a girl who lives next door, Ben uncovers old skeletons in the family closet and a tragedy that occurred many years before.

The film is very well done highly recommended for "family movie night". Think of it as "Goosebumps" meets "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" with just a touch more maturity.


Ricky Mabe is Benjamin Stiles, a teenage prankster sent to live with his estranged Grandfather at a large, spacious mansion in Maine. The film follows young Stiles as he confronts a perplexing supernatural mystery that engulfs his grandfather's sprawling estate. The film has a very crisp, polished look to it, thanks to an excellent to-video transfer. The acting is for the most part excellent, particularly in the case of Jan Rubes, who plays Benjamin's grandfather. The story is constructed and executed effectively, right up until the end, where the film's greatest weakness lies. The manner and speed with which the mystery is solved will undoubtedly leave many viewers disappointed. It left this reviewer thinking the writer, having developed a truly interesting web of mystery, was at a loss in finding an effective way to have it solved, and finally settled on a climax which reeks of rushed carelessness. Too bad, as the rest of this film is a lot of fun, and is suitable for family viewing. Also, young viewers are less likely to feel cheated by the ending. There are no scenes of shocking violence (or foul language), in this picture. In all, an above average and at times truly spooky film, suitable for the entire family. Just how many films can any reviewer say that about?


Believe is actually a film that more or less is "straight to video" or "tv movie" type. But in a strange way, it is a pretty good family friendly film. But all through out the movie I went on rolling my eyes waiting for them to kiss. Pretty dumb, but it's so obvious that the "young lovers" will soon have an enchanting moment.

Ah yes, definitely a film for all. Nothing scary, or anything like that :D


Director Robert Tinnell makes "family films," and he makes them well. He has a way of exploring important issues, such as familial communication, trust and loss, by coalescing emotions into a series of subtly potent moments. Oh, and he also loves monster movies. A life-long fan of classic (and not so classic-Believe features two scenes inspired by the 1941 Bela Lugosi Monogrammer The Invisible Ghost!) horror cinema, Tinnell turned his earlier Frankenstein and Me (1996) into a touching homage to growing up with monster movies. So for those of us with children ourselves (or for the monster movie-loving child in all of us), Tinnell makes our kind of movies. And Believe is his even more polished attempt to put some fright (and insight) into family fare. "I wanted to make a film where Hardy Boys meet the Wuthering Heights, and I hope that's what I did," explained Tinnell (who also concocted the film's story line). Indeed he did, with a touch of Val Lewton thrown in for good measure.

Believe centers on Ben Stiles (Ricky Mabe), the 14-year-old son of a diplomat, whose absentee parents have put him in a succession of boarding schools. Ben has a very unusual way to liven things up-he stages elaborate fright gags to scare his fellow pupils. After his latest stunt gets him expelled, he's sent to stay with his estranged grandfather (Jan Rubes), a reserved and imposing man who lives in a large, forbidding mansion. As the two try to establish some sort of relationship, Ben comes to realize that the estate is haunted by the ghost of a young woman-something the grandfather refuses to discuss. With the help of a recently orphaned girl named Katherine (Elisha Cuthbert), Ben attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to a confrontation between his grandfather and Katherine's great uncle (Ben Gazzara) over tragic events that transpired long ago and have affected their lives ever since.

Tinnell fills his film with nice eerie touches; shots of a shadow on a wall, leaves rustling in the wind, and shafts of illuminating moonlight (not to mention some evocative, prowling camerawork) generate an uneasy atmosphere.

"My goal in this one was really to find out if I can scare people," explained Tinnell. "I'm not a guy who runs away from that label; if you point and say 'he's a horror filmmaker,' I say great. So my goal was to prove I could do that."

But there's more to Tinnell's movie than just scaring young 'uns. "My other goal was to do something that would provide an entry level horror film for kids, with a positive message. And again, there's been a theme that's run through all four of my films pretty much: communication, the family. And I thought what better way to demonstrate how just not talking to one another, the damage it does to families. And I really do believe in that." Believe is really a story of families and relationships and the importance of communication-with an engrossing ghost yarn to hang these ten-gallon emotional hats on.

Don't be put off by Believe's so-called target audience. "It's primarily for kids from, say, eight to fourteen-primarily," admits Tinnell. "But I like to think that children of all ages, from eight to eighty, can enjoy this film. I think the best family films-this is not a children's film, obviously-I think the best family films are the ones in which the parents are sitting and watching with the kids, which is what they should be doing anyway, but don't.. I think that it works for all ages." Indeed it does.

Tinnell's heart (and, given the finished product, head) is in the right place. "I'm not going to condescend to the kids," emphasizes the director. "They deserve a good scare. Nowadays if they want to see any kind of contemporary horror, there's so much misogyny and just gratuitous bloodletting-and it's just not scary and there's no real supernaturalism. I just wanted to make a film that if I was 12 I would have loved.

In the movie, Ben explains why he stages his terror tricks by observing, "People like to be scared." Yes they do, and here Tinnell has offered up his own fright frolic, with some important ideas and involving sentiments thrown in for good measure. Aimed at those monster movie lovers who've grown up and had kids of their own (as well as those who've never really grown up at all), Believe is a sometimes scary, often affecting and always entertaining movie for the whole family. And that is a rare commodity these days.


At first, I could not believe James Brolin was playing Clark Gable, but he is dead on with his portrayal!!! He's a great reason to see this film. I don't know why this film is rated so low. It was sweet, entertaining and the ending was heartbreaking. It was also great to see the implications of not being a "moral" and "upstanding" actor in the film industry during its early years. It shows how much times have changed. It was also fascinating to see if Clark Gable really had a softer side in him, since he was probably the greatest leading man in the history of Hollywood and a symbol of American manhood during his time. In my mind, this film is wonderful.


"Gable and Lombard" made me angry as I watched it. You see I made a mistake of reading a book based on their life together and what amazed me was how inaccurate the movie is. Allow me to point out just a few of the MANY facts that are wrong with the movie.

1) The film opens with Gable at the plane crash site which has taken the life of Miss Lombard. He wears an Army uniform when in real life he didn't join until later.

2) At the crash site he is comforted by Lombard's press agent when in reality the press agent was killed in the crash as well.

3) The movie makes it appear that they kept their love life secret when in real life they often appeared together in public and made no secret of it.

4) In real life Gable and Lombard had worked together years before their affair started. The movie has them meeting and falling in love almost immediately.

5) The film over emphasizes Lombard's popularity.

Ah but who cares right? Most people don't know the real story and probably don't care. What you want to know is if the movie is any good. I imagine many people will probably enjoy this film but it's nothing more then a silly Hollywood romance that just happened to involve one of the biggest movie stars of the day. Frankly I was so distracted by the common factual errors it would have been impossible for me to enjoy. Let's face it when you watch a story involving real people you imagine that most if not all of what you are seeing either really happened or is a close representation thereof. To watch this movie is to see a screenwriter's fictional invention with real people. In other words I found it to be a scam.

As for the performances James Brolin is essentially imitating Gable from the "Gone With the Wind" era. He would have been more effective had he just made the character his own. He somewhat resembles Gable so we don't need the voice imitation. Jill Clayburgh comes off slightly better simply because she is given less to do.

"Gable and Lombard" may be a nice fictional movie but they should have changed the names and made the characters unknown. The ghosts of the real actors and their true stories linger from frame one.


Gable and Lombard ended up being a real treat for me to watch. I was skeptical about James Brolin playing Clark Gable but it wasn't long into the movie I got lost in Clark Gable and not in James Brolin. Jill Clayburg, I knew she could pull off being the sexy yet foul mouthed Carol Lombard. This movie is quite authentic with little embellishments here and there as I have read just about everything on this love struck couple. You will die laughing when you see what Carole Lombard had knitted for Clark Gable and her cute little comment when she sees it might be too big for him to fit into. I would though recommend not watching it on tv as it was edited so badly it took away from the story lines. If you can find it on video or happen to catch it in your cable guide, please try to catch it and I think if you really give it your undivided attention you will find the greatest love story of this century!


To be frank, this film was nothing but a ghost of one of the greatest love stories in Hollywood. When looking at it from a purely fictional standpoint, Gable and Lombard could be a mildly entertaining film, which is why I gave it a three to save it from utter ruination. But when looking from a historical standpoint and becoming familiar with the real Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, one realizes how ridiculous this film really is. The poorly written script should have been based upon the novel by Warren G. Harris rather than fantasy while the casting offices should have looked for actors better suited for the parts. While James Brolin did what he could with a poorly written part, he certainly was no Gable and ended up performing a dull imitation of one of the greatest legends Hollywood has ever known. But my main concern was with the terrible miscasting of Jill Clayburgh as the iconoclastic Lombard. She was entirely wrong for the part in both physicality and personality and ended up coming off as crude and impudent. The real Lombard was hardly such and while she used the language that Clayburgh shouted over and over again in the film, in reality it did not come off in the cheap manner that Clayburgh performed it in. Those closest to Lombard said she used class with her swearing and certainly Clayburgh was entirely incapable of portraying the class associated with Lombard's personality. While Clayburgh is not a terrible actress, she could not become the essence of Lombard and again it eventuated in a cheap mimicry of one of Hollywood's most signature actresses. Addressing that other problem associated with Clayburgh's casting, her nonexistent physical resemblance to the real Lombard, comes off as a travesty. While I would normally overlook poor physical resemblances to the real life people an actor is portraying, it was nearly impossible to do whilst watching a tall, shrill woman portraying a woman who, in reality, was petite and classy. I will grant that Clayburgh, perhaps, did all that she could to capture Lombard but certainly it did not seem so when watching this pathetic film.

Gable and Lombard eventuated in a shrewd, mediocre film that is not worth the time that it takes in dragging the viewer through the unbearable misrepresentations of various figures of Hollywood's classic period. If you are brilliant enough of a magician to suspend the image of the real Clark Gable and Carole Lombard long enough to see through the historical inaccuracies and rather mediocre acting, Gable and Lombard can be enjoyable. Certainly, I wouldn't be one to suggest it.


Highly fictional movie about the love affair between Clark Gable (James Brolin) and Carole Lombard (Jill Clayburgh). It chronicles how they first meet and hate each other but eventually fall in love. The problem is Gable's first wife won't give him a divorce and their studios are threatening to drop them.

There are so many factual errors here it's pointless to try and discuss them all. The biggest one for me was the portrayal of Louis B. Mayer (badly played by Allen Garfield) as a kindly man. He was loud and obnoxious and treated the actors like dirt. Here he comes across as a nice gentle father figure which is wildly inaccurate. Still if you just accept this as a fictional tale it's not too bad. It's pretty obvious they spent a lot of money on this--there's some truly beautiful sets and clothes. Also the script isn't too bad. It mostly consists of Brolin and Clayburgh screaming and arguing with each other or hopping into bed...but it still works.

Brolin is VERY convincing as Gable. He looks like him and sounds like him. Also, from what I've heard, he pretty much gave an accurate portrayal of Gable as he really was. Clayburgh looks nothing like Lombard but her acting is excellent and she does show Lombard as she actually was--strong, funny and independent. Also Red Buttons is excellent as a studio publicist. Beautiful music score too.

There are a few problems. The movie is way too long--it's 131 minutes and should have been shorter. Also there's a truly tacky sequence involving a "c**k soc" that should have been eliminated. But, as a fictional tale, this is pretty good. R rated for swearing and very frank sexual talk.


That's for you decide! I'm going to list a few things and you can make up your own mind, which will decide if you wanna watch this movie or not. Let's start with the actors, because they really give their best. They are great and the chemistry between Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams is really good. Even if it's almost unbelievable, that they would love each other that much, they sell it.

But that's also one of the downfalls. There is not that much drama, there is not that much friction. While that might be nice for the characters, you wonder how smoothly things go! Then at other times you get problems, that shouldn't be there. In other words, the movie is inconsistent! Plot holes and a very crazy story detail (the first time Eric Banas character and Rachel McAdams character meet is .. well wrong! Just wrong! I can't say more, without revealing anything, but in normal terms it's a "no no"!) add up to an overall weird experience.

Add to that the occasional and normal time traveling paradoxes and some major plot holes and you have a movie that got you through it's romantic magic or a movie that will leave completely cold ...


A young man, sailing the South Seas with friends, is saved from a shark by a lovely chief's daughter. They fall madly in love, only to have him learn that his beautiful BIRD OF PARADISE is destined to be sacrificed to Pele, the volcano god.

Essentially a piece of fluff, this film is enhanced by the performances of Dolores Del Rio & Joel McCrea. They handle the romantics quite nicely (her skinny dip providing proof this is a pre-Production Code movie). The rest of the cast, which includes Lon Chaney Jr. & 'Skeets' Gallagher, exist purely to provide support to the stars.

Location filming in Hawaii and a beautiful, evocative score by Max Steiner emphasize the languid mood of the plot.


A lovely film to watch for a modern audience if one can see it as it is, a 1932 film with its targeted audience. To enjoy any film requires a suspension of belief. After all it's just flickering lights on a screen wall. But for those with an openness & romantic spirit, even with the artificial, high tech volcano scenes of the day, this is good attitude adjustment of modern life in civilization. Dolores Del Rio was considered the most beautiful woman in film, & she doesn't dissappoint in this film. I felt the film should have done better at the box office & gathered some academy awards, etc. The beauty of the exotic scenes were not so familiar as they are today & the sensuality was unusually well done, especially in that day. I'm afraid the film Code that came out 3 yrs. later permanently perverted the authentic, individualistic creativity of the industry. The movie themes were in contrast to the fearful, "control-freak" reactionary ways that still exists today, & can be seen in other cultures & decades. Ah, the taboo against self-expression, especially one's sensuality & being in control of ones life - whether it's involving one's ovaries or being forced to kill or be killed & destroy other cultures/civilizations (all in the name of good-intention's or anti-terrorism).


While the plot of this film may seem trite to us today, it was fresh and original in 1932 when it was made. This may well have been the first "throw the girl into the volcano" movie. Considering the technical limitations of film-making in 1932, the photography and special effects are quite good: the whirlpool, the erupting volcano and the river of lava.

Contradicting other postings to this website, I did not see a "rape" scene. What I saw was the male lead chase the female lead after she had been teasing him, then he wrestled her and pinned her down to introduce her to Western-style kissing. A rapist doesn't kiss his victim, and a rape victim would not want her attacker to continue kissing her.

The action of the plot moves quickly and is never bogged down by the dialog. This is an entertaining film, which you could view as you would any antique: it's charming for the era in which it was created.


As I watched this on PBS I imagined my grandfather spending his twenty cents to watch in the theater. Romance and passion in the tropical sea breeze. A sea adventurer(Joel McCrea) falls in love with an island beauty(Dolores del Rio)who's destiny is to be sacrificed to Pele, the God of Volcanos. Of note: del Rio's nude underwater swimming scene. And Max Steiner's score is the first to orchestrate a "talkie" from beginning to end. The supporting cast includes: Richard Gallagher, John Halliday, Reginald Simpson and Lon Chaney Jr.


There was a certain kind of picture in the "pre-code" era, in which the licentiousness of the times would throw up any kind of strange fantasy. In the most significant period of sexual liberation before the 1960s, and still in an era where plucking a bride from a primitive culture did not seem a bit dodgy, a picture like Bird of Paradise could exist. A yarn like this would be the stuff of corny B-flicks a few decades later, but back in 1932 it was acceptable A-feature material.

So what we have here is a rather odd dichotomy. A daft storyline, yet one pulled off with panache. The producer and director is King Vidor, one of the most uniquely talented filmmakers of all time, and what's more he appears to have taken Bird of Paradise very seriously. His camera set-ups give an almost documentary feel to the proceedings. He doesn't force us in with point-of-view shots, or make us coldly objective, but often has us peeping over shoulders or from behind props, like an extra amid the action. This not only gives us the feeling of being there, it is also incredibly vivid and dynamic. He directs with a mixture of realism (most of the extras were genuine Polynesians) and bizarre stylisation, culminating in rituals which become macabre and frenzied riots.

Bird of Paradise also includes a couple of "before they were famous" curios. Those wild tribal dances are choreographed by Busby Berkeley. His stark, abstract formations are already evident, and nicely suit the feel of this picture. Then there is music by Max Steiner, composing what happens to be one of the earliest examples of an orchestral backing score in a talking picture. Steiner's score is a little awkward in its mixing, but melodically it is fine, establishing themes for different characters, setting tones, matching action but never once threatening to upstage the images. Berkeley and Steiner would soon take up residence at Warner Brothers, and the rest would be history. Oh, and there's one more curio, in that you several times clearly hear the Hawaiian word "wiki", nearly seventy years before anyone thought of joining it to "pedia".

The cast of Bird of Paradise are a rather odd bunch, but it doesn't seem to matter. The ship's crew members are filled out with a number of comedy supporting players, like 'Skeets' Gallagher and Bert Roach. They make the onboard scenes a little more interesting, but their appearances are fleeting and their performances muted enough that they never threaten to overbalance the picture or make it too farcical. Lead man Joel McCrea was a competent rather than an exceptional actor, but he has the ideal physique and manner for the character. Importantly he is also a generous player, who never attempts to steal the scene. And finally we have Dolores del Rio, of course looking far more Hispanic than Polynesian, but nevertheless convincing as a native woman, and certainly vivacious.

In spite of, or perhaps because of the talkies being firmly established and no longer stilted, Bird of Paradise seems more than anything like a silent picture. It does not make do without dialogue, but what dialogue there is tends to be superfluous, the images speaking eloquently enough. In other words, you could have released it as a silent, and not needed many title cards. With its mystical, exotic tone we do not really need to hear the actors rabbiting on to retain a sense of naturalism. And yes, it does contain many moments that are somewhat laughable (such as Joel McCrea riding a turtle like it was a surfboard), but thanks to its inventive direction, spot-on casting, and professional production it manages, against all odds, to salvage some dignity.


For a movie that seemed to have quite a bit of potential, I honestly just couldn't get into this one. The acting was second-, if not third-rate at best, and there were too many odd plot holes and things done for absolutely no reason. For instance, the scene in which Joel McCrea is carrying a pig... or the one which features him riding a turtle's back. The "humorous elements" in this film have nothing to do with humor at all, and the wasted love story between McCrea and del Rio is just boring to the extreme.

This film could only be better if given a Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment. As it is, it's rotten, rotten, rotten. It receives a generous rating of 2 because I have seen worse. But please: avoid this at all costs.


Bird of Paradise surely ranks as one of King Vidor's worst efforts---in fact it's hard to believe that the man who created The Crowd and The Big Parade could be involved with something as shoddy as this. Dolores Del Rio is hopelessly miscast as an island girl who falls for Joel McCrea, the seaman who virtually rapes her before jumping ship. We see lots of appallingly stereotypical natives (even for the period) and the writing is suffused with the worst racist instincts. Vidor redeemed himself later in his career with the thoughtful Japanese War Bride, but this is a depressing lowpoint in his ouevre.


I am just now viewing a very old and incredible bad copy of Gunbus, that I found yesterday... The story is actually amazingly interesting, with many great scenes and the other reviewers are often totally wrong! Okay, this film is clearly inspired by "Indiana Jones" with the same comedy spirit that made "Kellys Heroes" so great... Plus a few hilarious exaggerations of the technology, even if they are mush more realistic than the silly (but funny) machines in "Wild Wild West" The story begin in the wild west, were the the friend (our heroes) are dynamite crazy bank robbers, that finally get caught and are sent to the first world war front, as alternative to a very long time in jail...

There must they party (when they see two lovely ladies) of course and get into a bet with two English flyer's, that they naturally can fly an airplane... They try anyhow and crash land a bit later, at a rather extreme "flying circus" just as some of them actually were at the time, with flyer's who lived passed their expected time and definitely are ready to die for the glory...

Before they landed, did the spot a HUGE air ship in a cloud and that valuable information, plus the fact that they happen to shoot down a very impressive Gotha Bomber (forgot that part) just before they saw the girls...

Yes, almost everyone seem to act rather lousy, but that may be deliberate, just to make the story even more funny and then are many flying scenes rather sketchy, like a comic strip, but may be deliberate! Then have me many incredible air stunts, which partly should be for real and the hunt on the HUGE air ship... So this film is more than charming, if you like crazy adventure films and don't mind that they play strange and many air scenes look rather peculiar! I will give it 8 of 10 because it's a very nice in it's class... And I grade it also as really worth viewing 2 or 3 times in 10 years and a good buy, if it's hopefully get on DVD and you like this type of hilarious adventure films...


saw this movie in the theater when it came out in 86 just a fun to watch romp set in ww1 that the whole family can watch is it full of state of the art special effects? no but they did use real planes and pilots. you get a glimpse of what it was like during that time period. throw in a dash of irreverent comedy. a spoon of slapstick,and and a wacky cast as they set out to fight Germany . if you like the older movies operation petticoat, wackiest ship in the army

or up periscope. then this is your kind of movie. as the title says 2 bank robbers escape the law by joining the army and follows them on their adventure as they stumble through WWI


I had not seen this flick since I was a lad renting any movie i could get my mitts on. I recently watched it on movies for men! and enjoyed it as a passable time waster. Two cowboy buddies go from blowing up banks in the old west to fighting in the Great War. The action is what we want and luckily thats what you get with tons of explosions and some cool aerial dogfights against a humongous zeppelin. There are real planes used over the lush British countryside but a lot of scenes are back projections and do not convince but are fun. This is a boys own B movie with derring do at the forefront. The Germans are boo hiss and the cowboys gung-ho. It reportedly had a £12million budget. The film is full of inventive ideas but doesn't hold together to well. The cast does okay with a secondary role for Nicolos Lyndhurst(Only fools and horses) as Chalky. If your a B movie fan of the eighties chops away. It would make a nice double bill with Biggles - Adventures In Time.


Gunbus was the UK title of this film. Some trench scenes were filmed at Marston Mortaine in Bedfordshire (Disused LBC clay pits). I know this because I was an extra for some scenes - my one and only venture into the film world. But I was a mere dot on the screen and absolve myself of any responsibility for this dire, almost unwatchable attempt at comedy. 18 million dollars? Well, the catering was good.


This is a lost film, save for one reel found in a Russian archive. But what a reel! Lars Hanson is a soldier due to ship out at midnight, and Garbo is the lover who will not let him go. The tension, sensitivity, passion, and sense of doom conveyed in this scene makes it all the more tragic that this is Garbo's only lost film. Victor Sjostrom, who directed Lillian Gish in two of her greatest films, seems to have been a perfect match for Garbo as well. Look for this fragment on Turner Classic Movies; they program it between feature films fairly often.


The Divine Woman, although short, is one of the most beautiful films in which I have seen Greta Garbo. The film is not as heavy as some of her other work, although there are some sad undertones. The fact that The Divine Woman is a silent film really makes the movie stand out from Miss Garbo's other movies, and because it is silent, the passion, sadness, happiness, and all other emotions of the characters shine through more than they normally would in a talking film. Since only a small portion (a few minutes) of this film are known to exist, there is added intrigue about the film, and even in its brevity, the film seems complete. This movie is one of the best of all time, especially since it is a very different type of film for Greta Garbo.


This one has been a favorite of mine ever since I first watched it on cable in the late 70's. Richard Pryor is just perfect as Wendell Scott, the first black stock-car racing champion. The rest of the cast is great as well, all perfect in their roles. This is definitely a perfectly cast film!

The film itself is very decent but does have a few problems, most notably that once Wendell starts racing there seems to be too many large gaps in time, as if a lot of footage that has been left on the cutting room floor. But the script does move along well even with that problem.

I would think Pryor fans especially would pick this up on DVD if it ever got a proper release, in widescreen, some commentary, and with those obviously deleted scenes left behind. Hopefully this will be on DVD before some Hollywood clown remakes this with tons of computer effects crap and ruins the whole thing.


This movie showed the life of one mans adversity in a sport that he loved but not always loved him back. I had the great pleasure of meeting Wendell Scott at a car show in the 80's. He was a very kind hearted man that loved to meet and greet people. I have this movie on tape so that I can show my son when he grows up. It is a great story that every man of any race should see.


Richard Pryor plays Wendell Scott, a war vet with a love and talent for driving. After initially putting this to good use as a moonshine runner, he ends up in the world of stock car racing, facing an overwhelming amount of racism as he struggled to be taken seriously and, ultimately, become a champion on the track.

If, for me, there was anything less than completely satisfactory about this picture, it would be that it seems that more could have been told about Scotts' life story. The picture moves along incredibly well (this 97 minute picture really flies by), which proves to be both good and bad. It just felt that the film-makers were only giving us brief glimpses from certain points in this life. But the story is still an important one, and it's worth sticking with, concluding on an upbeat, uplifting, and inspiring note.

It gets lots of points for its sincerity and high likability factor, with Pryor turning in one of the finest performances that I've seen from him. It's a true revelation in showing how good he could be dramatically. Supporting him extremely well are Beau Bridges, as a former competitor turned ally, Pam Grier, as his loving and supportive wife, Cleavon Little as lifelong crony Peewee, Vincent Gardenia as blustery redneck sheriff Cotton, Richie Havens as mechanic Woodrow (Mr. Havens also sings the catchy songs very well), Earl Hindman as arrogant star racer Beau Welles, and Noble Willingham as slick Billy Joe Byrnes, the man who gets Wendell into racing in the first place.

It's an enjoyable little film and hopefully I and others here can help to get it some more attention.

7/10


If you're a race fan, you may not have heard of Wendell Scott. He was one of the most under rated race car drivers of all time, and for all of the wrong reasons. It really makes a person wonder how great he might have been if someone looked beyond the color of his skin.

This movie captures that struggle Wendell must of felt. This movie also shows what a great actor Richard Pryor really could have been if he was cast in more serious rolls, instead of just comedies. Sure there there was some humor in this movie, but nothing like his later movies. Richard and Clevon Little played well off of each other. Maybe this is why this movie is all but forgotten about because this movie is somewhat out of character for Richard. Sure, it is not completely an accurate account of Wendell's life, but it is one best movies Richard Pryor ever made.

So if you see it, don't expect a scream fest. But may I suggest that you see it just to see what a great actor, not comedian Richard Pryor was.


It's not often I get to see a movie that isn't 1) unbelievably complicated in psychological meaning OR 2) unbelievably complicated in futuristic technology SO

I found it GREAT ENTERTAINMENT, REFRESHING, POSITIVE, AND most of all CLEAN, HEALTHY FUN!

This is the best I've seen Richard Pryor star in, and the real life Horatio Alger story is a real force for success motivation, even though I am a WASP.

Only the jaded and/or mean spirited would turn this one down.


It's no wonder they added the "X" in the title of this sequel to MVP and MVP 2. It has the best monkey shower scene I've ever seen. This monkey nudity only served to make the primate more "human" so I can understand it's inclusion in the film. With out it, it would have been merely a typical animal sports movie in the tradition of Air Bud.

I haven't seen monkeys and humans bond this well, since "Gorillas in the Mist". Not only does the monkey take a shower, but he also brushes his teeth, shave with a razor, plays the drums, plays video games, drinks a frozen drink and gets brain freeze, and oh yeah he snowboards too. What will Jack do next? I for one can't wait. Opposable thumbs way up!!!


If Disney's name was still somewhere on this one, I bet they wish they'd have taken it off by now. After affixing the Disney brand to five--count 'em, five--Air Bud installations, all laughable after the first one broke some modest ground (and prompted rumors from PETA that Buddy the dog was killed by bone spurs resulting from wearing tennis shoes in filming), any affiliation with this travesty must be purely contractual. This film does nothing, is nothing, and means nothing; it has all the Disney stereotypes: the unsure new kid in town, his surfer-talking, typical-teen older brother punk rock guitarist (played hilariously by Trevor Wright), the hot snowboard instructor girl (who inevitably falls for Wright's character, despite lack of screen time together), the single father, bumbling criminals under a kingpin boss who should just fire the two, and the apparently psychotic monkey lady who follows her chimps across two countries on airlines that apparently allow monkeys to use passports and occupy seats. This series has become the new "Land Before Time," trudging out the same tired stories, straight-to-DVD, and waiting for overeager parents to grab it off the Wal-Mart shelf, slap this tripe on and shut their kids up. Will it work? Unfortunately, yes. Is it shameful, the continued lack of creativity in producing childrens' films? Absolutely. "MXP: Most Xtreme Primate" is sickening to watch and is simply a bunch of flashy editing and colors to brainwash Junior for 88 minutes. Parents couldn't be happier, but anyone who actually takes a look at this will think, "Wait, didn't that dog do this in 1997?" Fortunately, no recognizable actors or actresses surface in this one to showcase just how hard they've fallen (as was not the case in something like "American Psycho 2," the deplorable sequel to a classic featuring Mila Kunis and ol' Bill Shatner). Get something like "Land Before Time ONE" or "Heavyweights" for the kids tonight--they stand up much better than this mistake ever will.


I'm a filmmaker and I was amazed at how they put this movie together with the chimps. I've done one very short short called "Giant Mice From Outer Space" (youtube and veoh) with cats, ducks, dogs and deer and it took forever. The cinematography is perfect. The performances were very good considering this was tongue in cheek. I particularly liked Robbie Benson's performance.

This is a great movie kids will love and I suspect the low score here may be due to animal activists who feel chimps should not snowboard.

Parents should just be warned that you kid(s) will probably say, "Can I get a snowboard momma? It can't be hard monkeys can do it."


This title says it all. I watched this movie and then, boom, diarrhea. If you sometimes have diarrhea, I would not recommend this movie. This movie is about a chimpanzee who skateboards or snowboards or plays hockey. I think it involved snow. There was some dumb little kid who didn't have any friends at the beginning of the movie and at the end he got to snowboard with some dumb guy named Bjorn. So I guess that's a happy ending. If you like diarrhea. Also, at one point in the movie he (Bjorn) said something about "that's tight dawg." I laughed really hard. So hard in fact that diarrhea shot out of my butt and onto the guy sitting next to me. I don't recommend this movie for people with sideways pointing butts.


Whats the demograghic? If you're under 3 you wont understand it. If you're 4 and over you will be looking for the hour of life wasted on this cinematic masterpiece. If I could contact the writers and producers, I would tell them to give up and give me that extra side of bbq they forgot to bring with my fries. This piece of crap was so big, no chimp could pick it up and throw it. I saw this movie on late night local TV and I feel like the network owes me money even though it was at no cost to me, well, my soul has been taxed heavily. What the hell. Im no longer watching movies, thanks MXP (Most Excellent Production) Assholes.


This movie is fantastic. From the opening, where four intrepid chimps wearing straw Mexican hats and serapes fly to Colorado on a commercial airliner to the breathtaking nordic stunts, this movie is a winner all the way! This series of movies rules! Highly recommended. I can't wait for the next installment.


In Britain, there is a drink called PG Tips. It's a kind of tea. It's quite nice. I personally enjoy it with a splash of milk and two generous spoonfuls of sugar. During the 90's it was the biggest selling tea in Britain, even outselling the tea conglomerate Typhoo. The reason for this was a clever marketing campaign featuring even cleverer monkeys who read the newspaper and erm, drink tea and stuff. During the 70's, the chimps were taken off the air only to be brought back 18 months later with PG tips facing rapidly declining sales. See? Chimps can do good stuff. In the name of moderniazation and er, animal rights (what's that?), the chimps have again been taken off the air and replaced with claymation bird models. However, clever Hollywood types sat up and took notice. People like monkeys. They look like people! But funnier! Ha Ha! Funny-like-people-monkeys!!!!!! Forcibly and hungrily breast-feeding itself on the PG tips monkey's success comes MXP, where chimps do all the things they were born to do: snowboarding, shaving, cooking and faithfully re-enacting the plots of all the Home Alone movies. This is not a film not to watch because you don't like monkeys. This is not a film not to watch because you are a card carrying member of PETA. This is a film not to watch because you will gnaw your own arm off and wish you were dead. No animals were harmed during the filming. Let us hope the same can not be said of the actors, producer, director and all involved in this sad, sad movie made for (and by) people who like gnawing their arm off and wishing they were dead.


At the outset, I must warn everyone that I am an avid snowboarder and I have worked with many primates. One thing I can say for sure is that this plot is simply unbelievable.

I have seen the previous two installments of MVP, but this one by far is off the deep end. First, a chimp playing hockey. Yeah, I can see that. Then, a chimp skateboarding. A little less believable, but possible. But a chimp snowboarding? I think we're bordering on ridiculous now.

I've worked with chimps, and certainly, they're intelligent enough to communicate in sign language, and convey their feelings. But snowboarding? What's next in MVP IV, a chimp that can cure cancer? I mean, come on. Let's not forget, that this animal will OFTEN throw its feces at anyone within 50 feet. Sure, I understand that they're trainable, and come off well on the big screen. But snowboarding? Why not have a lawyer show with MVP giving birth to a donkey? At least science makes that a possibility. This just isn't worth it, folks. Unless you'd like to build a stable in your backyard for your unicorns or ride a giraffe to work backwards, then don't watch this movie. It's pure fantasy. I mean, a chimp that snowboards? C'mon.


You can't help but being mesmerized by Robert Duvall in the title role. He must of seen a lot of southern preachers as he grew up, because he wrote this as well and the role suited him to a tee.

The supporting cast is fine, with Rick Dial and John Beasley getting kudos for their work, but the movie is first and foremost about The Apostle. If you like Robert Duvall as an actor, you will like this movie. His attention to detail in his roles is well known. He brings quirks and nuances to help flesh out his characters, and this role is no different.

The Apostle is a flawed man who can lift others up, but has trouble lifting himself up. And that contradiction is what gives this movie its flavor. All-in-all, a fine movie.


This film kept me thinking for days afterwards. A highly emotionally charged film, The Apostle is essentially a one-man tour de force for Duvall with an ensemble supporting cast. Duvall's performance was so convincing that had he performed this role live I'm sure he would have moved the whole audience to tears.

I resisted seeing this film at first expecting that it would be the usual tired, antireligious stereotype that late twentieth century script writers revel in. But The Apostle does not blindly follow any stereotypes. The premise is plausible and the realistic character portrayals give the viewer the feeling that they are right there in the story. This is a riveting tragic tale of a very flawed man who has the gift of inspiring others to better and greater things. Had Shakespeare been around today, he would have borrowed this storyline, but I doubt he could have done a better job.

It is a cautionary tale for anyone in a position of leadership. Somehow, despite the tragedy framing this story, I found it very uplifting. If you like a film with a message that prompts you to think, then see this movie.


Robert Duvall did an excellent job bringing this film to life. The other 'actors' in the film also contribute to give "The Apostle" a realistic warmth rarely achieved in mainstream films. I refer to the cast as 'actors' because aside from numerous character actors, Duvall being one of the greatest, the film is inhabited by non-actors. In other words, the people in church, from the Holiness preachers to the warm small-town folk, are real people, not trained in acting. Duvall's story is engaging and beautiful in the way it shows the flaws amid great talent in a man who chooses for himself the calling of Apostle. I love this film, the accurate portrayal of some aspects of southern U.S. life and culture, and especially Duvall's performance.


I will always admire Robert Duvall for all the personal effort he put into making this film. As a church worker who is a moderate/liberal Christian, there are few other movies like it out there. It presents a pastor who is clearly flawed and sinful, as all of us are. However, it also presents someone who simply wants to serve the Lord and help people, whether they are poor, black or prisoners. The filming locations and use of real pastors give the movie an extremely authentic feel. Great music as well! Highly recommended movie with great acting, a story that makes you think and a balanced portrayal of evangelical Christianity.


The Apostle is a gripping film on a most unpromising subject matter. The film has none of the obvious flash of movies such as Elmer Gantry and The Rainmaker which covered some of the same territory. The Apostle is based on straightforward storytelling, great character development and nice, gentle pacing - but with a strong kick.

Robert Duvall, one of the best actors of the last thirty years, gives a powerful performance as the preacher driven by his inner demons - and gods. Over the years, we've seen preachers played by actors ranging from Burt Lancaster to Steve Martin but Robert Duvall comes up with a truly individual and original interpretation. What makes the character Sonny stand out is that he is so real! Ranging from his most charismatic (doing a Joe Dolan impersonation?) to his most personal, one feels that Sonny (the apostle EF) is real, believes what he is doing is real and is confident in his destiny - no matter how odd or quirky he appears at times.

The film is character driven with a good sprinkling of incidents throughout. Story points introduced early on and developed before half way give the film a strong feel of The Fugitive, the TV series - laid back, story based but with the undercurrent of "a ticking bomb under the table" (Alfred Hitchcock).

Minor quibbles: Miranda Richardson's character is a little too young for Robert Duvall's. June Carter Cash, both the actress and the character, seem under utilised. And at times it is possible to see the joins. The version I saw on video appears to be shorter than that shown originally in the US cinema. This pruning may account for some of these minor points.

Overall, The Apostle is highly recommended. Filmgoers without a strong interest in religious matters should find the characters, their treatment and the landscape in which they operate fascinating. Most people of a religious disposition should have little difficulty with the film as a film though they may not always like what they see from a religious viewpoint. 8.75.

Amen!


Although I have mixed emotions about this film, I have always enjoyed watching it and find it utterly fascinating.

This is a powerful story of a very flawed-but very sincere Pentecostal preacher from Texas who flees after slugging his adulterous wife's lover with a baseball bat, killing him, as it turns out. "Sonny" (Robert Duvall), winds up starting a rural church from scratch in a small town in Louisiana, and is eventually discovered and sent back to Texas to jail.

Duvall gives a tremendous acting performance in here, one of the best I've seen on film. He dominates the picture from start-to-finish. There are some good messages in here, including the one that you reap what you sow, and accepting that even when it's bad news and you wind up paying for your sins.

Speaking of that, the bad news about this film is yet another portrayal of a minister who acts very un-minister-like. Here's a preacher who carries a pistol, slugs a man with a baseball bat, runs away from the scene and his family, and later settles a dispute with his fists and makes sexual advances to a woman.

I don't know ANY minister (or priest) who would do these things - especially all of them! - but it makes for a good story, film-wise. Another horrible message was seeing the minister's wife (played by Farrah Fawcett) having an affair with the youth minister! I mean, all of this is ridiculous. To those anti-church readers out there, I'm sorry but this is not the way it is, by any means.

Yet, despite all that, this is not your typical anti-Christian film ,which is why no major studio would fund this movie. Duvall had to put his own money into this. Hollywood didn't want to back a film in which "people being saved" means a lot, where people unashamedly praise the Lord, and are converted. In this film are several touching conversions, including a dramatic one with Billy Bob Thornton, of all people! Hey, with God all things are possible.

Many of the people in this movie were not actors, either, but real ministers. Also shown are supporting characters who are all sincere, good people who help "The Apostle E.F." (Duvall) build the church and help make it grow.

In the end, despite all his flaws, Duvall's character turns out to be one of a sincere evangelist who truly loves God and wants to do His work wherever and whenever, even on a chain gang as the ending credits attest.

The more I watch this movie, the more I appreciate the cinematography in here. I enjoyed the music, too. This is a strange film full of "good" and "bad" people and their actions and a movie, I suspect, people would either love or hate. I loved it.