Raised in Harlem, Tommy Gibbs becomes a successful mob boss but he clashes with the rival Mafia and his old enemy, dirty cop McKinney.
Acting
Fred Williamson's ice-cold stare could freeze gasoline.
Direction
Larry Cohen shot this guerrilla-style in actual Harlem locations.
Score
James Brown's funk soundtrack hits harder than most scripts.
Director
Larry Cohen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Fred Williamson improvised most of his fight scenes after Cohen realized he moved faster than the stunt coordinator could plan.
Cohen wrote this in 10 days after noticing Shaft's success, beating Hollywood to the Black crime-boss template by months. The white studio head literally asked 'Can a Black man be a gangster?'
US
