Original Gangstas (1996)

Marvin Bookman is a small shop owner in Gary, Indiana, USA. After he sees a drive-by shooting of Laurie Thompson's son by a local gang, he gives up the license number of the car to the ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Aubrey K. Rattan

Stars:

Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Williamson	...	John Bookman
Jim Brown	...	Jake Trevor
Pam Grier	...	Laurie Thompson
Paul Winfield	...	Reverend Dorsey
Isabel Sanford	...	Gracie Bookman
Oscar Brown Jr.	...	Marvin Bookman
Richard Roundtree	...	Slick
Ron O'Neal	...	Bubba
Christopher B. Duncan	...	Spyro
Eddie Bo Smith Jr.	...	Damien
Dru Down	...	Kayo
Shyheim Franklin	...	Dink
Robert Forster	...	Detective Slatten
Charles Napier	...	Mayor
Wings Hauser	...	Michael Casey

Storyline

Marvin Bookman is a small shop owner in Gary, Indiana, USA. After he sees a drive-by shooting of Laurie Thompson's son by a local gang, he gives up the license number of the car to the police. The gang doesn't like this so they go to the store and rough him up. Soon, John Bookman comes to town to set the wrong things right. With the help of Laurie and his old friend Jake, they attempt to take back the streets and show the new breed of gang members what the true originals can do.

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Plot Keywords:

drive by shooting | profanity | african american | arson | poetic justice | 

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Taglines:

The original bad boys are stepping up in '96!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for non-stop violence and pervasive strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Warzone

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,014,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Po' Boy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Camera crew shadow visible during the fight at the abandoned steel mill.

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Connections

Features RoboCop 2 (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Down for the Fun"
Written by John Bolden, Teddy Bolden II and Jarvis Washington
Performed by Shakey 'J'
Background Vocals: John Bolden & Teddy Bolden II
Produced & Arranged by John Bolden & Teddy Bolden II
Publishing: Third City Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Sad, but true!

As somebody who lives in the city just West of Gary, I can tell you that it does exist and is in worse shape than the movie portrayed. The gangs may be different but crime is still rampant. A lot of the buildings in the movie are still there, in worse shape than what was in the movie and they still film there when they want to show a disaster zone. The city relied too heavily on the former U.S. Steel to support it. As the mill downsized and other industry moved out,"White Flight" and corrupt politicians began the death knell. There are a lot of good people there who are trying to make things better, but aren't having a lot of success. It's really a shame, it was a beautiful city at one time. I did enjoy the movie enough to watch it a couple times.