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Original Gangstas (1996)
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Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:6
Rotten:7
Average Rating:5.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Set in Gary, Indiana, this film stars many popular actors from the "blaxploitation" era in a tale of revenge and good vs. evil. The premise involves John Bookman, who escaped from the ghettos of... Set in Gary, Indiana, this film stars many popular actors from the "blaxploitation" era in a tale of revenge and good vs. evil. The premise involves John Bookman, who escaped from the ghettos of Gary years ago and is now a successful pro football coach in L.A. But when John's father is killed, the innocent victim of gang violence, John returns home to Indiana. After burying his dad, John rounds up his old cronies, and sets out to clean the streets of the punks who have ruined his old neighborhood -- a task much easier said than done. Can John and company defeat their younger, violence-prone adversaries? [More]
Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield
Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield, Isabel Sanford, Ron O'Neal, Richard Roundtree, Christopher B. Duncan, Dru Down, Charles Napier
Director: Larry Cohen
Director: Larry Cohen
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Reviews for Original Gangstas
Although the leads are intended to be cool and menacing, the result resembles parody; scenes of drugs, guns and fights are likely to make audiences burst out in laughter.
Original Gangstas leaves you feeling that more could have been made of this 'blaxploitation' reunion, but it's not bad -- and no more and no less substantial than the films of the original cycle.
The purpose is to entertain, and on that score the film delivers impressively.
Where Original Gangstas works is in its understanding that the stars are playing the characters they created 25 years ago as their older selves.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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