"The Seven-Ups" is a follow-up of sorts to "The French Connection", based on a story by the legendary detective Sonny Grosso, and uses some of the same talents from that other movie. Philip D'Antoni, who'd produced "The French Connection", makes his first (and to date only) directorial effort, creating an engrossing NYC tale that keeps its grip thanks to a very matter- of-fact presentation. Unlike a lot of slick Hollywood productions, this never gets bogged down in spectacle (save for one major set piece which I'll get to in a moment) or unnecessary melodrama.
Grossos' gritty tale tells of tough undercover detective Buddy (Roy Scheider), part of an elite unit that goes after organized crime and resorts to some pretty unorthodox methods. What causes problems for Buddy and his men - played by Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon, and Ken Kercheval - is the interesting situation of a pair of rogue cops (Bill Hickman and the great screen villain Richard Lynch, in one of his earliest roles) going around abducting underworld figures for ransom.
The movie is highlighted by one absolutely incredible car chase, occurring just past the halfway point and cranking up the films' energy level to a high degree. This is old school stunt driving and editing at its finest. As for the rest of the film, it's done in a very low key, gritty, and realistic style. Some viewers may grow impatient and wish that most of the movie were like its car chase, but others will appreciate the restraint that D'Antoni shows. He gets superb performances out of his cast, with Scheider projecting a quiet authority in the lead role. Tony Lo Bianco, also from "The French Connection", scores as amiable informant Vito. Larry Haines co-stars as mobster Max Kalish and familiar faces Joe Spinell ("Maniac") and Rex Everhart ("Friday the 13th") can be seen as well. About the only thing in "The Seven-Ups" that isn't too subtle is the intense music score by Don Ellis.
Overall this is genuinely good stuff and well worth watching for any fan of crime pictures, especially the great NYC films of the 1970s.
Eight out of 10.
Grossos' gritty tale tells of tough undercover detective Buddy (Roy Scheider), part of an elite unit that goes after organized crime and resorts to some pretty unorthodox methods. What causes problems for Buddy and his men - played by Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon, and Ken Kercheval - is the interesting situation of a pair of rogue cops (Bill Hickman and the great screen villain Richard Lynch, in one of his earliest roles) going around abducting underworld figures for ransom.
The movie is highlighted by one absolutely incredible car chase, occurring just past the halfway point and cranking up the films' energy level to a high degree. This is old school stunt driving and editing at its finest. As for the rest of the film, it's done in a very low key, gritty, and realistic style. Some viewers may grow impatient and wish that most of the movie were like its car chase, but others will appreciate the restraint that D'Antoni shows. He gets superb performances out of his cast, with Scheider projecting a quiet authority in the lead role. Tony Lo Bianco, also from "The French Connection", scores as amiable informant Vito. Larry Haines co-stars as mobster Max Kalish and familiar faces Joe Spinell ("Maniac") and Rex Everhart ("Friday the 13th") can be seen as well. About the only thing in "The Seven-Ups" that isn't too subtle is the intense music score by Don Ellis.
Overall this is genuinely good stuff and well worth watching for any fan of crime pictures, especially the great NYC films of the 1970s.
Eight out of 10.