The Seven-Ups (1973)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Philip D'Antoni

Writers:

Albert Ruben (screenplay) and
Alexander Jacobs (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

When they're after you, you're gonna hope for a nice stretch in prison. Seven years...and up!

Plot:

A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Police | New York City | Kidnapping | Chase

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Buddy - Seven-Up
Victor Arnold	...	Barilli - Seven-Up
Jerry Leon	...	Mingo - Seven-Up
Ken Kercheval	...	Ansel - Seven-Up
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Vito Lucia
Larry Haines	...	Max Kalish
Richard Lynch	...	Moon
Bill Hickman	...	Bo
Lou Polan	...	Carmine Coltello
Matt Russo	...	Festa
Joe Spinell	...	Toredano
Robert Burr	...	Lt. Hanes
Rex Everhart	...	Inspector Gilson
David Wilson	...	Bobby
Ed Jordan	...	Bruno

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1974) | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 (1975) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (certificate #23673)

Filming Locations:

10th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Philip D'Antoni Productions Inc.

Trivia:

An ancillary branch of the police department, the Seven-Ups were so named because any criminals busted by them were guaranteed to spend at least seven years in the slammer

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buddy is in the barber chair, his coat collar moves from inside the barber apron to outside in various shots.

Quotes:

Insp. Gilson: There's something going on the boys downtown never told us about. Have you heard rumors of Mob kidnappings?
Buddy Manucci: [surprised] No. I thought it was about heavy artillery on the streets, that's all.
Lt. Jerry Hanes: Why the hell didn't you tell us? A squad from the Chief of Detectives' office is investigating stories about undercover police. Alleged police. Going around kidnapping wiseguys for ransom.
Buddy Manucci: [eyes widening] And they think it's us?
Insp. Gilson: Buddy, what would you think? What was Ansel doing with Cotello? A lot of people never wanted our outfit formed, you know that. They don't like the way we operate.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spin off from The French Connection (1971)

gritty NYC cop action/drama is worthwhile!

I'm not much for "cop" movies, but this one is supposedly a classic & when I found it cheap I bought it and stuck it on a shelf, only to finally get around to watching it yesterday, and I LIKED it! Now, you can have New York City, but as a setting for a film like this, in the winter months, it's perfect. Roy Scheider is a member of an elite police task group called The Seven Ups, which are 5 guys that fight crime undercover. In an opening scene they recover a shoebox full of money from an antique store by distracting the crooks with a "bull in a china shop" routine. But that's only the beginning. Seems that there are two guys, posing as cops, that are kidnapping mob types and holding them for ransom. Richard Lynch happens to be one of these sleaze-bags, and he's as creepy as ever. When one of the Seven Ups, who is posing as a limo driver at a funeral, gets his cover blown, he's beaten and stuffed into the trunk of a car, which then leads to perhaps one of the most exciting car chases I've seen. Amazing though, how light traffic in NYC is for chase scenes, but still this is rather amazing as Scheider follows the two kidnappers through what I'm guessing is the Bronx and then onto a turnpike and then eventually, Scheider's car comes to a screeching halt in one of the most heart-stopping finales to a chase scene that I've ever witnessed. Anyway, since the cop ends up dying, Scheider and his men are under suspicion because the police commissioner knows so little about their activities he wonders if THEY'RE on the make by kidnapping mobsters, so of course this kind of thinking needs to be nipped in the bud & Scheider is relentless getting to the bottom of things. Overall a decent cop action/drama, not really my thing but I liked this one. Look for Joe Spinell (Maniac) in a small role. 7 out of 10.