Cast:
Paul Winfield (Gordon Hudson), Carl Lee (Bee Bishop), David Downing (Otis Russell), Tony King (Roy Green), Gilbert Lewis (Harry "Spanish Harry" Martinez), Carl Gordon (Luther "The Pimp"), Nathan Heard ("Big Pink"), Grace Jones (Mary), Jackie Page (Bedroom Girl), Chuck Bergansky (White Hitman), and Adam Wade (Hustler) Directed by Ossie Davis (#1635 - Cotton Comes to Harlem and #1802 - Black Girl)
Review:
"Directing calls for a vision and an itch, a dedicated focus, energy, the ability to be mean and stubborn if you have to, and at times, a little devious. Qualities I thoroughly understand, but do not have."
Gordon's War was the third feature film directed by Ossie Davis, who you might remember from films as interesting as Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Black Girl (1972). As was the case with his other efforts, he directed it with a different studio, with this production being released by 20th Century Fox. Technically this is a blaxploitation film, in that it does involve folks literally declaring war on drug pushers. But it is also a film about what urban decay can do to a community along with seeing just how much commitment means to sticking to a mission regardless of the costs if the leader is strong enough. The movie was written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman (I recognize him due to having seen the TV show Kung Fu, which he co-created). The movie was shot in Harlem and Davis allowed the actors to choose their own wardrobe. Davis directed two other films: Kongi's Harvest, a semi-obscure 1970s Nigerian film based on a play of the same name by Wole Soyinka (who starred in the production), and Countdown at Kusini (1976), an American-Nigerian production that he served as star along with his wife Ruby Dee.
Man do I wish I enjoyed this film more. It almost looks like a film ready to burst out of the seams in weirdness. This is a movie where one guy recruits three other guys to turn their prior experience in the green jungle of Vietnam into a fight of the concrete jungle, but somehow it all comes off as just very average material, one that doesn't quite reach the heights of the aforementioned Cotton film. However, being the possible lesser of three features made by an actor/director isn't the worst thing in the world, because there is still fairly solid ideas here for entertainment. Winfield, fresh off showcases of his talent in films such as Sounder, does quite well in making a captivating lead character in terms of "Nothing to lose", one clearly interesting enough to lead people on a crusade without turning it into fanatical hammy acting. Lee, Downing, and King play the accomplices (read: devotees) to our lead with interesting patience that is semi-interesting, albeit not exactly on the level of The Dirty Dozen (or something), but mostly on the level to what is needed. Grace Jones made her film debut here (years before she became noted for her music), albeit a small role as a "drug mule". The movie doesn't have enough juice to justify lacking a quality adversary, since Gordon and Lewis can't quite cut it when the movie tries to play "the real threat" that seems ripped from a silly formulaic crime book. Yes, it is a movie that talks about the decay of a town that comes with drugs, and one at least sees it in a movie that isn't reeking of "After-school Special", albeit on a small scale, one that shows a bleak mood. A chase scene ripe in inspiration from The French Connection and cardboard predictability is not quite enough to make a fun movie, but I at least understand the appeal for those interested in overlooked movies, since it took several years to even garner a DVD release. As a whole, it is an inconclusive film, one that can't quite hold itself to doing anything grand with a vigilante film due to it lacking a center to hold things together despite a suitable lead. But hey, some movies work better than others in having a good time in action, so pick carefully.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
Next Time: The Human Tornado.
No comments:
Post a Comment