A Piece of the Action (1977)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Thanks for the memories!

Let's be realistic.

Best movie of this year hands down!

This film is a guilty pleasure, you know one of those movies that will never be on anyone's "best movie" list but one you can watch over and over again and secretly enjoy as much as those great films. A Piece of the Action is a stark contrast to the popular Blaxploitation films of the 1970s and stars the handsome and talented Sydney Poitier as Manny Durrell and the very funny and charming Bill Cosby as Dave Anderson. The film is about two high-end thieves (Poitier and Cosby) who are being blackmailed by a mysterious caller with a distinctive baritone voice. The caller agrees not to turn over what he knows to the police if they agree to donate their time to the Community Improvement Center which works with "incorrigible" youth from the inner city. The remainder of the movie involves the two thieves partnering up to work at the center's job preparedness program while also looking for the blackmailer and avoiding the crooks they stole from. Juggling all these things create some amusing encounters.My favorite parts involve Poitier's interaction with the teens. He's cool and suave and doesn't take anything off the rebellious teens. Over the next few weeks, the teens develop pride in who they are, learn the value of a dollar and hard work, and develop the necessary skills for getting and holding down a job. There is some fantastic dialogue like Barbara's (Sheryl Lee Ralph) Poverty Pimp speech directed at teacher Ms. Thomas. There are also some touching moments, i.e. Willie talking about his brother Timmy. I also like the romantic relationship that forms between Cosby's Anderson (Who knew he had a sexy side) and Lila French (Denise Nicholas), the Center's Director.The colloquialisms, clothes, dances and music are admittedly dated (although the music soundtrack is awesome). However, some of the over-arching themes are still relevant like having pride in your race, dealing with stereotypes of black youth, etc. I really hope we see a remake of this movie as well as the other two films that partnered Poitier and Cosby – Uptown Saturday Night and Lets Do It Again. This is the strongest of the three films and deserves its place in Black Film history.

I had a hard time figuring this movie out. Eventually all the pieces were put together and explained. I thought James Earl Jones did a great job as the retired detective who had big plans for Manny and Dave. Bill Cosby was funny as usual as Dave, and Sidney Poitier did a capable job as Manny, though this sort of movie isn't typical of his talent. If anything, Jones was playing the role that Poitier should have, because Poitier is such a brilliant actor. But so is Jones.At times this resembled 'To Sir, With Love' (which I have never seen in its entirety but hope to), since Manny ended up playing a similar role. Manny and Dave were so funny trying to figure out a way out of their predicament or at least make the best of it if they couldn't. The kids were good in a 'Welcome Back, Kotter' sort of way.The real problem with this movie was that it got too confusing. A simple story about the detective conning the guys into helping the less fortunate city kids might have been better. But then the other set of crooks made the story complicated, though still funny.I always enjoy Bill Cosby, anyway, and James Earl Jones plays such good characters. Sidney Poitier adds quality to whatever he does.

I've seen this film numerous times over the years. Most recently I introduced it to a new generation while removing my enamor for Poitier and Cosby and attempting to see it with a more critical eye. Even in purposely trying to criticize the film the best I could come up with is the Detective played by James Earl Jones makes Peter Falk's Columbo look like a sophomore. I never noticed it previously, but the recently retired cop character is observed looking at an empty safe in one scene and broken handcuffs in another, then meracuously he is able to deduce that our two favorite cons are responsible. Not only this, he is able to tell which one did which crime and exactly how. There is probably something that says that directors are allowed to bypass supplemental story details and cut to the chase. Now, having said this I return to my premise that this movie has so much heart, soul, and in comparison to many of today's silly comedies that seem to think that character development is not a requirement, it makes sense. The viewer actually gets a feel for the various personalities. Poitier is forever the straight man, humor deriving from his serious approach and competency amongst the unruly teens. Audiences can cheer and marvel at his ability to reach them. This is in contrast to the Ms. Thomas character who has a good heart but fails at getting through. Ms. Nichols plays a principal who is both beautiful and slick enough in the tongue to keep her enrollees at bay. Rather than gawdy scenes that provide momentary laughs through silliness, A Piece of the Action is a treasure in that it has numerous people interactions (Heart and Soul) that can be talked about for many years to come. For example, the young group I showed it to were able to pinpoint such scenes as "Tearful Testimony about little Timmy", "A Kick in the Butt for Something for Nothing",and "Barbara's Mad" as the easy favorites. While Cosby is naturally comical, his wooing of Nichols is more romantic. Consequently,the three favorite scenes by this poll do not involve Cosby, but rather Poitier and the young job seekers. This film is an integral part of my Black Film Presentations and I look forward to introducing to even more people.

The third, and more serious, of the 1970's Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier films. This time, Cosby is a thief and Poitier a con artist who are blackmailed into helping a community center. They have three weeks to take a group of scared and angry kids and place them in jobs, and help them find the confidence to keep them. Meanwhile, they try to find the identity of their blackmailer.Cosby and Poitier are first rate, as are the supporting cast. Denise Nicolas is back as the administrator of the community center and James Earl Jones joins in the fun, as well. The young actors are good and many would go on to careers in television and movies.There are plenty of laughs, but this is a bit more serious. The kids are all from poor neighborhoods and are frightened about entering the job market. They also carry deep seated anger over the conditions of their lives. They use hostility and cynicism to protect themselves. Poitier spends his time trying to build confidence in the kids and show them how work with people to improve their lives, if only to feed their families, without help from the government or charities. Slowly. the kids respond to his tough message and begin to grow.Cosby tries to leave behind his past as a ladies man and build a relationship with Nicholas. He also snoops around to find their blackmailer.This is a film with a message, but it doesn't hit you over the head with it. The comedy and drama work hand-in-hand. Definitely worth a look.