Themes: Police Corruption, Dangerous Friends, Inner City Blues
Main Cast: Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Paul Benjamin, Ed Bernard
Release Year: 1972
Country: US
Run Time: 102 minutes
Plot
Across 110th Street is a violent urban thriller about a corrupt, older white cop (Anthony Quinn) and an honest, young African-American cop (Yaphet Kotto) chasing three robbers-cum-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. The film has reached a cult status; the title song, performed by Bobby Womack, was later used in Jackie Brown, Quentin Tarantino's extended homage to the crime flicks of the 1970s. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
Review
Although it is often lumped in with the blaxploitation boom of the early '70s, Across 110th Street is actually a gritty police procedural with a strong element of social commentary. The cast attacks the material with straight-faced gusto, with the central focus being the fiery, compelling battle of wills between straight-arrow newcomer Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn as his good-hearted but corrupt older partner. Anthony Franciosa also makes a frighteningly vivid impression as an aging small-time mobster whose hunger for power drives him to psychotic brutality in his pursuit of the hapless thieves. Across 110th Street is also notable because it allows drama to take precedence over the action instead of vice versa. 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. This doesn't mean that the film skimps on action, in fact, it is full of tough, tightly edited action scenes like the opening tenement apartment heist and an explosive rooftop shootout. However, these moments eschew the comic-book tone of most action films in favor of a raw, unflinching sense of brutality likely to make even the toughest viewers squirm in their seats. Barry Shear's atmospheric direction weaves the many subplots together in a skillful fashion and effectively captures the grimy, claustrophobic feel of the story through a combination of location shooting 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). All in all, Across 110th Street is a powerhouse effort that succeeds both as an incisive social drama and an intense police thriller. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Perry Watkins - Art Director, Richard Stenta - Associate Producer, Marion Dougherty - Casting, John E. Quill - First Assistant Director, Barry Shear - Director, Carl Pingitore - Editor, Byron Brandt - Editor, Anthony Quinn - Executive Producer, Barry Shear - Executive Producer, Bobby Womack - Composer (Music Score), J.J. Johnson - Composer (Music Score), Enrico Cortese - Makeup, Jack Priestley - Cinematographer, Fouad Said - Producer, Ralph Serpe - Producer, Bobby Womack - Singer, Joe Lombardi - Special Effects, Luther Davis - Screenwriter, Wally Ferris - Book Author
The soundtrack to a relatively little-known 1972 blaxploitation film featured songs written and performed by Bobby Womack, as well as a musical score by J.J. Johnson. Although the inconsistency of the approach precluded a musical statement along the lines of Superfly, it's an interesting find for those looking for little-heeded early-'70s soul with funk and rock influences. Womack's cuts count among his better material, and even if the title track cops much of its attitude from Superfly, it has a satisfyingly tough soul-rock groove of its own. "If You Want My Love" is a good grainy ballad, "Quicksand" a propulsive number well-suited for action scenes, and "Do It Right" in the mold of James Brown, but more rock-oriented. Johnson's instrumental contributions, while not as interesting, set a nice period soul-jazz mood, and there are nifty periodic washes of electronic effects in both composers' contributions. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
This film is set in Harlem, of which 110th Street is an informal boundary line.
By-the-book black police Lieutenant Pope (Kotto) has to work with crude, racist and streetwise Italian-American Captain Mattelli (Quinn). They are looking for three blacks who slaughtered five men—three blacks and two Italians—in the robbery of $300,000 from a Mafia-owned Harlem policy bank. Mafia lieutenant Nick D'Salvio (Franciosa) and his henchmen are also after the hoods. Paul Benjamin plays the troubled but good-hearted Jim Harris, which is the last of the surviving robbers; he makes his choice in the emotional climax.
In one of many violent scenes, D'Salvio finds getaway driver Henry J. Jackson (Antonio Fargas) and brutalizes him in a Harlem whorehouse.
Background
The movie was filmed on location in Harlem. The film is also notable as being the first feature film to use a self-blimped camera (the Arriflex 35BL) for sync sound; the much-reduced size of the camera allowed the production to not only use more hand-held shots and smaller locations than normal, but also record usable sound at the same time - an endeavor not previously possible under those circumstances.
