altmanfan Review of Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street (1972)

A gritty street-smart thriller shot on authentic Harlem locations

[8/10 · 18 February 2008]

110th Street in New York City is the dividing line between Central Park and Harlem. In the film Across 110th Street that line becomes apparent. The film opens with two white men arriving at a brownstone in Harlem. We learn that they are mob bag men sent to collect the week's gambling receipts from two black associates. Amidst their money counting there is a knock on the door—two black men dressed in NYPD uniforms barge their way in,gun down the four men in the room and take the $300,000 they were counting. They then shoot their way past two real policemen with the help of their getaway driver. This opening scene sets the tone of the film and it is a grim tone at that. After the robbery-murders, the scene shifts to an apartment in Central Park where the mob boss informs his son-in-law and glorified errand-boy Nick D'Salvo (Anthony Franciosa) that he is in charge of exacting revenge against the men who ripped them off. Naturally,the mob is not the only organization interested in finding the killers. With two cops dead, the NYPD are keen on finding them as well. Captain Frank Matelli (Anthony Quinn) a veteran detective well-known in Harlem, is assigned to the case. He finds out in short order that in spite of his high rank, he is ordered to report to Lieutenant Pope (Yaphet Kotto) because of the racial politics involved. Matelli, who is a racist and not above roughing up a suspect, chafes at the order, but abides it. Pope tolerates Matelli because of Matelli's informers and friends on the force who can help solve the case. As the film plays out D'Salvo and Doc Johnson the black crime boss who runs Harlem for D'Salvo's father-in-law hunt down the three men responsible for the theft and murders. At the same time, Pope and Matelli are looking for the same three men and trying to get to them before D'Salvo does. Director Barry Shear makes the most of the authentic Harlem locations in which this film is shot. It is very interesting to look back on what Harlem looked like in 1972. Most of it was not very pretty or charming. Anthony Quinn (who was one of the executive producers) brings a certain gravitas to his role as the bitter, veteran police captain. Quinn was always a very expressive and naturalistic actor and he does not disappoint in this role. Yaphet Kotto also delivers an outstanding performance in his role as the progressive Lieutenant Pope. The scenes where he and Quinn lock horns are emotionally charged and quite good. Franciosa comes close to going over the top as the vengeful Nick D'Salvo but he never quite gets there. The film features a supporting cast of faces familiar to fans of the blaxploitation genre–although this is not a blaxploitation film. Blaxploitation films such as Black Caesar, Shaft or Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song feature black protagonists who get to "stick it to the man" and be the hero. In Across 110th Street there are no heroes. No one is the "good guy". This is a violent and relentless film. But it is realistic, very well made and worth watching for fans of the crime genre.