Across 110th Street (1972)

Two New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.

Director:

Barry Shear

Writers:

Luther Davis (screenplay by), Wally Ferris (from the novel "Across 110th" by)

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Adu	...	Black Assistant
Frank Arno	...	Detective Rizzo
Joseph Attles	...	Mr. Jessup (as Joe Attles)
Paul Benjamin	...	Jim Harris
Ed Bernard	...	Joe Logart
Tina Beyer	...	Black Whore
Gerry Black	...	Patrolman
Samual Blue Jr.	...	Dr. Christmas
Norman Bush	...	Bartender
Anthony C. Cannon	...	Sal (as Anthony Cannon)
Maria Carey	...	Maria
Anthony Charnota	...	Frank
Dick Crockett	...	Patrolman
Keith Davis	...	Cab Driver
George DiCenzo	...	Patrolman (as George Di Cenzo)

Storyline

In Harlem, two Italian mobsters meet three black gangsters that work to the kingpin Doc Johnson to collect dirty money from their associates in an apartment building. Out of the blue, the smalltime thieves Jim Harris and Joe Logart knock on the door disguised as police officers to steal US$ 300,000.00 from the Mafia. However, they startle when the suitcase with the money falls on the floor and Jim kills the five men with a machine gun. They flee to the runaway car driven by Henry J. Jackson and they kill two policemen. The idealist NYPD Lt. Pope and the violent Capt. Mattelli investigate the case while the Italian Mafia and the black gangsters hunt the killers down. Will Jim Harris and his accomplices be found?

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Plot Keywords:

massacre | police procedural | police detective | blaxploitation | african american | 

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Taglines:

If you steal $300,000 from the mob, it's not robbery. It's suicide.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene at Doc Johnson's office while he talks to Matelli and Pope, he turns on the TV. The film being shown is Duel at Diablo (1966), a western directed by Ralph Nelson, which also deals with an ethnic conflict (white soldiers against native Americans). Sidney Poitier, who starred in the film In the Heat of the Night (1967), also stars in this, as well.

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Goofs

About 18 minutes into the movie, a cameraman can clearly be seen in the mirror.

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Quotes

Nick D'Salvio: Harlem is ours. we found it. we made it. and we're going to keep it. and this sh** ain't ever going to happen again, you hear me? Ever!

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC with edits made to nearly all the fight scenes and shots of beatings, and heavy cuts to shootings and a man on fire during the climax. All later releases were uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in Adventures in Moviegoing: Josh and Bennie Safdie (2020)

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Soundtracks

Across 110th Street
(uncredited)
Written by Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson
Performed by Bobby Womack

User Reviews

Gritty Violent Thriller That Deserves To Be Better Known

I caught this on BBC 1 one night many years ago . I forgot the title but could vividly remember a number of scenes especially a line of dialogue where two characters describe a third one having his genitals mutilated . This type of movie would be broadcast on television 30 years ago and no one would blink an eyelid but at the same time you can understand why it wouldn't be shown on network TV today . It as also a sign of the times back then that the TV broadcast had the F word overdubbed to something less offensive but the racial slurs against both black and whites remained intact . Perhaps the fact this film is consciously insensitive and hard hitting works against it ? This is a pity because it's not some " Blaxploitation " fare but more of a New Hollywood thriller at its best

The story itself is no great shakes - a couple of black dudes rip off and kill a few members of the Mafia and the black underworld and also kill a couple of uniformed cops in the process and find if not the entire world against them then at least the law enforcers and law breakers of NYC wanting to cap their ass . It's the sort of film Tarantino has been inspired by but unlike Tarantino's work this movie is devoid of post modernism and crippling self indulgence and is a relatively tightly plotted screenplay where lots of nasty things happen to lots of nasty people . There's a subplot featuring character interaction between Anthony Quinn's nasty racist white cop and Yaphet Kotto's not very nasty by the books black cop that might have been clichéd but does seem fresh and realistic , probably down to the fact the performances and writing portraying a rather amoral relationship between the two men and the wider world . And this does feel like an exceptionally amoral film that we never see nowadays more is the pity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

23 March 1973 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Across 110th Street

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Studio Plaza - 3400 W. Riverside Dr. Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,601,306

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Guarantors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 92 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1