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Gordon's War (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   162 votes
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Director:
Ossie Davis
Writers:
Howard Friedlander (writer)
Ed Spielman (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gordon's War on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 May 1974 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Adventure | Crime more
Plot:
Four Vietnam Vets go to war against the drug dealers and pimps of Harlem. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Harlem shakedown - vigilante style more (7 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Paul Winfield ... Gordon Hudson
Carl Lee ... Bee Bishop

David Downing ... Otis Russell
Tony King ... Roy Green
Gilbert Lewis ... Spanish Harry
Carl Gordon ... Luther the Pimp
Nathan C. Heard ... Big Pink
Grace Jones ... Mary
Jackie Page ... Bedroom Girl
Chuck Bergansky ... Caucasian killer (as Charles Bergansky)
Adam Wade ... Hustler

Hansford Rowe ... Dog Salesman
Warren Taurien ... Goose
Ralph Wilcox ... Black hit man
David Connell ... Hotel Proprieter
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min | Germany:85 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (TVC)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1973) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA
Company:
Palomar Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Spanish Harry is riding the motorcycle being chased by Gordon and he cuts through the park, it cuts to Spanish Harry's point of view and you can clearly see the shadow of the camera mounted to the motorcycle. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Toute une vie (1974) more
Soundtrack:
Come on and Dream Some Paradise more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Harlem shakedown - vigilante style, 21 January 2008
8/10
Author: mike dewey from canton, ohio

This is by no means another cookie-cutter 70's Black crime drama: Paul W. and his band of Vietnam War Vets have come back to Harlem to try to eradicate the pimps and pushers who are sowing the seeds of devastation in their community. What is significant to me is the well orchestrated and articulated courses of action that they employ to achieve their goals. Gordon (Paul W.), the leader, demands discipline and dedication from his fellow Vet brothers to carry out the difficult tasks at hand and they in turn fulfill those demands by utilizing their own special skill sets in their own individual fashion. Note the technical skills used to set up command headquarters liaison and communication and also the street skills used in flushing out the dope den by "fakin' the funk" to simulate rat poison dope cutting.

The film moves along at a brisk pace, by not overindulging in extreme doses of gratuitous violence and wasted motion. The progression of events is shown in a logical and entertaining fashion, thanks to the directorial skills of Ossie Davis and by injecting "New Birth" cuts into the soundtrack.

Even though this is purportedly a Black film set in Harlem, you don't see any extreme cases of race badgering and "Honkey" this and that name calling. These brothers depicted here have returned to put out any and all hoodlums involved in the Harlem crime scene, whether it's Spanish Harry and his boys in the 'hood or the fat cat suppliers up the ladder in downtown Manhattan. To Gordon and the his men, you mess around, you lay around! Even though this film is now 35 years old, the principles are still as applicable to today's problems as they were to the problems back in the day.

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