DVD Movie Rating for: Original Gangstas

2 out of 5 stars

Movie Plot of: Original Gangstas

Marvin Bookman is a small shop owner in Gary, Indiana, USA. After he sees a drive-by shooting of Laurie Thompson's son by a local gang, he gives up the license number of the car to the police. The gang doesn't like this so they go to the store and rough him up. Soon, John Bookman comes to town to set the wrong things right. With the help of Laurie and his old friend Jake, they attempt to take back the streets and show the new breed of gang members what the true originals can do.

A violent street gang, the Rebels, rule the streets of Gary, Indiana. The Rebels shoot Marvin Bookman, a store-keeper, for giving the police information about a drive-by shooting they committed. Marvin's son, former NFL star John who created the Rebels, returns to Gary to be with his father and, with a little help from his friends, to destroy the Rebels his way.

DVD Production Details of: Original Gangstas

Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown

Director: Larry Cohen

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen

Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios

DVD Release Date: May 1, 2001
DVD Features:
Theatrical trailer(s)

8-Page Booklet

Full-screen and widescreen letterbox formats

DVD Easter Eggs

Cast of the movie: Original Gangstas

• Fred Williamson.... John Bookman
• Jim Brown .... Jake Trevor
• Pam Grier .... Laurie Thompson
• Paul Winfield .... Reverend Dorsey
• Isabel Sanford .... Gracie Bookman
• Oscar Brown Jr. .... Marvin Bookman
• Richard Roundtree .... Slick
• Ron O'Neal .... Bubba
• Christopher B. Duncan .... Spyro
• Eddie Bo Smith Jr. .... Damien
• Dru Down .... Kayo
• Shyheim Franklin .... Dink
• Robert Forster .... Detective Slatten
• Charles Napier .... Mayor
• Wings Hauser .... Michael Casey

Photo Gallery of the movie: Original Gangstas

Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs

Original Gangstas

Reviews of the movie: Original Gangstas

Larry Cohen scratched out some of the most memorably offbeat exploitation films of the 1970s, including two of the most energetic blaxploitation action classics: Black Caesar and its sequel, Hell Up in Harlem, which made a star of Fred Williamson. In 1996 they reunited for this tribute to the good old days and producer-star Williamson brought along a few of his fellow 1970s blaxplo icons: Jim Brown (Slaughter), Pam Grier (Foxy Brown), Richard Roundtree (Shaft), and Ron O'Neal (Superfly). They play old friends and former members of a neighborhood gang in economically depressed Gary, Indiana, who reunite when a new generation of gangbangers using their old street name, the Rebels, turns the city into a war zone. It's great fun to see the old faces back on the screen--Williamson is still buff and tough, and Brown and Grier have become more charismatic with age--but they're let down by a slack script and lazy direction despite an almost nonstop barrage of gunfights and back-alley brawls. Even with revved-up 1990s firepower, the film never really captures the explosive energy of the films that made their reputations. You're better off seeing the originals. Paul Winfield and Isabel Sanford also star, and Cohen casts cult faves Charles Napier, Wings Hauser, and Robert Forster in supporting roles

A veteran cast make this worth watching
A veteran cast make this update of the blaxploitation genre worth watching. Fred Williamson (Black Caesar), Jim Brown (Slaughter), Pam Grier (Coffy/Foxy Brown), Richard Roundtree (Shaft) and Ron O'Neal (Superfly) join forces to combat the newer, younger version of the same gang they formed some twenty years prior. Not enough Roundtree or O'Neal and barely enough action but a decent enough entry. For fans of the genre.