Across 110th Street (1972)

Gritty, 6 June 2005

Across 110th Street is definitely a product of its time. Although it's lumped in with the Blaxplotation movies of its day, it's really doesn't belong with those films. While films like Foxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones, and Superfly featured larger than life characters that border on being comic book characters, Across 110th Street seeks to give a more accurate portrait of what was happening in the inner-cities in the early 1970s. Sure, the events have been fictionalized, but the gritty truth is just under the surface. These aren't pretty pictures with pretty Hollywood actors. These are people with little hope for the future. They're almost forced to take chances with their lives and lives of their loved ones to make a better future for themselves. It's ugly and totally fascinating at the same time. Across 110th Street is movie not to be missed.

7/10