9 Blaxploitation Films You Need To See

9. Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street had all the usual trinkets and tricks of the genre: the pimp suits, the jive talk, the powerhouse soundtrack from Bobby Womack and J. J. Johnson.

Yet underneath it all is a brilliantly written crime story that shines a light on the racial tension in 1970's New York . This is played out in the relationship between Lieutenant William Pope (Yaphet Kotto) and Captain Frank Mattelli (Anthony Quinn).

Where Pope is a straight-laced, by the book kind of guy, with ambitions to rise through the ranks, Mattelli is of the old school mentality. Basically, he's never averse to using violence to get what he wants, a dyed in the wool racist and a cop on the take.

These two are thrown together after a heist on a local Mafia run numbers game goes wrong, leaving bodies in its wake with The Mob baying for blood.

Across 110th Street is a gritty movie that tackles a serious subject without a heavy hand. It's just a shame that it's never received the recognition it deserved.