ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605200024
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-12 EXTRA EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
"Original Gangstas" ought to be at a drive-in - the Lee-Hi, Shenandoah, Trail, Dixie or North 11 - or downtown at the Jefferson or the American. Of course, all those theaters were closed years ago, but they're where the "blaxploitation" movies of the 1970s played.
And this film is solidly in that tradition of action stories with social awareness and political attitude. It's not a perfect example of the form, but the pace is lively and the casting couldn't be better.
The setting is contemporary Gary, Ind., a burnt-out shell of a city where the steel industry has closed down and youth gangs rule the streets. When a young man is killed in a drive-by shooting near Marvin Bookman's (Oscar Brown Jr.) grocery, he tells Detective Slatten (Robert Forster) the car's license plate number. His wife Gracie (Isabel Sanford) objects, but Marvin has decided that he's had enough. It's time to stand up. The gang, called the Rebels, retaliates.
That's enough to bring his grown son John Bookman (Fred Williamson, who also produced) back home to clean up the old neighborhood. His first allies are the parents of the dead boy, Jake Trevor (Jim Brown) and Laurie Thompson (Pam Grier). Also involved are hometown pals Slick (Richard Roundtree) and Bubba (Ron O'Neal). Rev. Dorsey (Paul Winfield) is a weak-willed go-between for the gang and the mayor (Charles Napier) and his aide (Wings Hauser).
That large cast pretty well covers the B-movie spectrum, past and present. Director Larry Cohen, whose experience in the genre ranges from "Hell Up in Harlem" to "God Told Me To" to "It's Alive," keeps things moving right along. Aubrey Rattan's script makes its philosophical points about personal responsibility clearly; John and Jake actually started the Rebels before they became successful and moved away. But those ideas are no more important than the stark setting or the physical action.
In that department, the film has almost everything fans want to see - explosions, shoot-outs, fights, bad guys getting their just desserts. What's been left out is the leering sexuality, so often a key element. That's probably just as well.
"Original Gangstas" is a film about community and the redemption of the prodigal, not to mention some serious butt-kickin'. Perhaps there's not room for anything more.
Original Gangstas HHH
An Orion release playing at the Cinema USA Crossroads Mall. 99 min. Rated R for violence, extremely strong language.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ``Gangstas'' stars Fred Williamson and Pam Grier. color.by CNB