Review of Across 110th Street (1972) by Andy K — 06 Aug 2010
There is debate about whether this film should be classified as a blaxploitation film, or as a forerunner to those films. I'm on the fence about it (for now), but one thing is certain regardless: this is an outstanding, well made and pretty solid crime film in its own right.
I could ramble about this one for a while, but just for the sake of time, I'll just try to keep it short and say that I love how this film manages to be gritty, violent (I was surprised at how violent this ended up being), and entertaining, yet still retain a hearty dose of intelligence and substance. That's probably why this film usually gets a fair amount of praise from the critics and intellectuals who normally look down upon blaxploitation and urban crime films. There's tons of subtext, yet none of it is too heavy handed or preachy.
Another great thing about this one is the acting. Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto each give wonderful performances that are multilayered and believable. The music and cinematography are also quite nice, although I feel it necessary to give a mild jeer over the fact that the climactic ending is supposed to be in Harlem but was actually shot on location on the Lower East Side. The rest of it was filmed in Harlem, so why not the whole thing?
This review of Across 110th Street (1972) was written by Andy K on 06 Aug 2010.
Across 110th Street has generally received positive reviews.
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