Across 110th Street

1 9 7 2 (USA)

Although it is often lumped in with the Blaxploitation boom of the early 70s, Across 110th Street is actually a gritty cop flick with a strong element of social commentary. Undeniably stylish, with superb location photography and well-staged action sequences, the film has deservedly attained a cult status. 

A corrupt old white cop (Anthony Quinn) and an honest young black cop (Yaphet Kotto) are chasing three black robbers/murderers who ran away with $300,000 that belonged to the Italian mob. The police must find them before the sadistic Mafia henchman Nick D'Salvio (Anthony Franciosa) reaches them first. Franciosa makes a frighteningly vivid impression as the aging small-time mobster whose hunger for power drives him to psychotic brutality in his pursuit of the hapless thieves. 

Scenes of Kotto and Quinn grappling over issues of racism and corruption in the police department are just as important to the film as the central story line of the mafia chasing the thieves, and Barry Shear's atmospheric direction weaves the many subplots together in a skilful fashion and effectively captures the grimy, claustrophobic feel of the story through a combination of nice location shooting (filmed in the notorious Harlem district of New York) and mobile, often handheld camera work. 

Finally, the film's tough but emotional style is sealed by a bittersweet soul score from Bobby Womack. Years later, Quentin Tarantino chose this film's title song to open and close Jackie Brown, his extended homage to the Blaxploitation crime flick genre of the 1970s.