Original Gangstas

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Original Gangstas

R,

1996,

1h 38m,

Action

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Watchlist

Watchlist

53%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Successful Los Angeles football coach John Bookman returns home to Gary, IN, when his father is murdered. Discovering the town overrun with violent street gangs, John is even more horrified to learn his father was shot by a member of the Rebels, a gang John himself helped form in his youth. John teams up with Jake and Laurie, the parents of a boy who was also killed by a Rebel, to organize their neighborhood against gang violence.

Anne Billson

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Nov 27, 2017

This is solid action fare with saggy bits, but there's enough ass-kicking, Molotov cocktail-throwing and gunfire to keep their erstwhile fans amused, and the screenplay cleverly knits the old traditions of Shaft together with Boyz 'n' the Hood.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Feb 14, 2001

3/5

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.

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Susan Stark

Detroit News

Jan 1, 2000

3/4

Think Boyz N the Hood meets The Mod Squad.

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

May 31, 2022

It's good to see the stars from those 70’s “black exploitation” blockbusters working again, even if it is naïve to believe they can come back 20 years later and wipe out today’s dope dealers.

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Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Oct 9, 2005

2/5

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jul 21, 2005

2/5

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Harry S

Nov 30, 2017

Pretty disappointing. Especially coming from such an interesting director as Cohen. It's very cheap and amateur looking, like most quick DTV movies from the 90s. Hollow, boring characters with terrible acting. And it totally wastes the marquee. The opportunity to make a cool Expendables type of flick with all these classic blaxsploitation actors could've been so much fun, but the ball was dropped.

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Larry Cohen

Director

Fred Williamson

John Bookman

Jim Brown

Jake Trevor

Pam Grier

Laurie Thompson

Paul Winfield

Reverend Dorsey

Isabel Sanford

Gracie Bookman

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Synopsis

Successful Los Angeles football coach John Bookman returns home to Gary, IN, when his father is murdered. Discovering the town overrun with violent street gangs, John is even more horrified to learn his father was shot by a member of the Rebels, a gang John himself helped form in his youth. John teams up with Jake and Laurie, the parents of a boy who was also killed by a Rebel, to organize their neighborhood against gang violence.

Director: Larry Cohen
Producer: Fred Williamson
Screenwriter: Aubrey K. Rattan
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Po' Boy Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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