The last, and least, film in the so-called Uptown trilogy, this 1977 buddy comedy is preachier than its more rollicking predecessors, Uptown Saturday Night and Let’s Do It Again. It begins like The Sting, but then veers into To Sir, with Love territory, as Dave (Bill Cosby), a safecracker, and Manny (Sidney Poitier), a con man, are blackmailed by a retired detective (James Earl Jones, who would achieve pop-culture immortality that year as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Read more…
February 25th, 2010 on 12:03 am
This review is from: Piece of Action [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This was the last pairing of Cosby and Poitier in 1977 and watching it, you can easily see where Quentin Tarantino and a lot of other young filmmakers get ideas for plotting, pacing and musical backdrops. The most refreshing thing about the film is that it manages to deliver a message about empowering today’s youth without beating you over the head with it’s preachiness. Brilliantly scored by the late, great Curtis Mayfield and featuring contributions from The Staple Singers, “A Piece…” perfectly encapsulates it’s time without sinking to the depths of ‘Blaxploitation’ and buffoonery. The terrific all-star cast includes James Earl Jones, the impossibly gorgeous Denise Nicholas matched only by the lovely Tracy Reed, a very young Sheryl Lee Ralph and the soon- to- be- a- star-via-”What’s Happening!”, Ernest Thomas. One scene is of particualar note: one of the youngsters involved in the job search program, Willie, delivers a powerful, tear-filled monologue about why he has to find a job ‘or something, so that he can be a man’ that just breaks my heart and lends the film an air of poignance that elevates it above the level of simple comedy. With that said, “A Piece Of The Action” is an all time favorite that contains elements of drama, action & suspense (I could watch these people plot, scam and sneak to get Nikki back all day!) and comedy that makes for a very satisfying viewing experience. A Classic. Go get a piece!
February 25th, 2010 on 1:02 am
“Gentlemen, I want to be fair and relieve your minds. Neither of you knows what my business with the other one is. Therefore you are safe from each other. This is confidential. Trust me.” - Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) Well, this movie is more mainstream than the typical blaxploitation due to the stardom of Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, “A Piece of the Action” was the third and last pairing of this sequel. The film’s plot is quite weak but the charm is still there. Charming crooks Dave Anderson (Cosby) and Manny Durrell (Poitier) are high-class con men who have never run afoul of the law. Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) is a retiring detective with enough evidence on the both of them to put them behind bars. He offers to maintain his silence if the crooks will go straight and do work at a youth center for delinquents. Thus our story line kicks off but goes nowhere fast. At first, the crooks are reluctant and unwilling (and so are the kids). As time goes by, trust and admiration is exchanged (as well as cold cash) and progress is made to get jobs for the kids. The film walks a difficult path between comedy and social commentary but feels very comfortable to watch. Some of the dialogue is over done but others are truly heartwarming…I teared up twice on different occasions. Poitier trades on his performance as the school teacher who brings a London East End class to life in To Sir, With Love. Cosby’s performance leans more toward his films that bombed, with mostly unrelated mugging and schtick making up his performance, that hopefully is improvised. Denise Nicholas as Lila French and Tracy Reed as Manny’s girlfriend Nikki portray there roles quite well. A very young Sheryl Lee Ralph appears as one of the “delinquents,” Barbara, and has a very dynamic scene in which she demands more respect from the instructors. Close to the middle of this film do look for Poitier’s older brother Cyril as the janitor of the youth center, Mr. Theodore, and soon-to-be star of television’s What’s Happening – The Complete First Season!!, as Raj, Earnest Thomas. The charm of the actors is really the best part of A Piece of the Action, and it shines despite the poor quality of the script. Another positive aspect of the film is the potent score by Superfly composer Curtis Mayfield, which also features singer Mavis Staples on some songs. It is good, clean, wholesome comedy. If you’re from this era the memories will hit you strongly from the clothing, music; even to the “language.”