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Gordon's War

Play trailer Poster for Gordon's War R 1973 1h 29m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
When Army Green Beret Gordon (Paul Winfield) returns from Vietnam to Harlem in the early 1970s, he finds a different kind of war has been waged in his absence. Drug dealers and pimps have invaded his once-peaceful neighborhood, and their victims include his wife, now dead of an overdose. Reassembling his Army unit with fellow soldiers Bee (Carl Lee), Otis (David Downing) and Roy (Tony King), Gordon mounts a full-scale guerrilla war against the criminals and the businessmen behind them.

Critics Reviews

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Derek Adams Time Out 06/24/2006
Raised out of the ordinary by an ingenious safe raid, an above-average car chase, and some nice location work. Go to Full Review Howard Thompson New York Times 05/09/2005
The picture is inconclusive, far from profound, and the urgency of the theme has been overly simplified to fit the action. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
This totally unbelievable 1973 feature about black vigilantes out to break the Harlem drug traffic displays the same fatuous moral attitudinizing that mars most of the neofascist Fun City crime flicks of the period. Go to Full Review Gregory Mims New Pittsburgh Courier 12/13/2021
Ossie Davies, perhaps the most underrated director in the entire Black film/stage community, has shown such remarkable restraint in the fashioning of this film, that its plausibility is rarely strained within its context. Go to Full Review Alis Loewell Los Angeles Free Press 12/31/2019
Replete with a final chase scene that's the best I've seen since The French Connection. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/16/2020 One of the best blaxploitation movies of the 70s See more 01/27/2016 A Vietnam vet takes the battle to the streets of Harlem after losing a loved one, waging a war on the drug pushers in his neighborhood. A really well-done action flick, well worth a look. Rental! See more 07/26/2015 Good premise, but ultimately disappointing. See more 05/29/2013 (48%) A slightly gritty small budget 70's vigilante action flick that's pretty standard stuff. There's some fairly decent action, and a good car chase, but nothing to get too excited about. Perhaps the main draw now though is to get insight into the tough streets of Harlem from back in the early 70's. See more douglas g 11/09/2012 Once upon a time there were movies about Black men that defended their communities - this one about a group of Vietnam Vets that did that. See more 07/19/2011 This movie kicked ass,bunch of vietnam vets decided to clean up Harlem in the 70's.Pimps and H dealers get fucked up.Hahaha this movie was awesome See more Read all reviews
Gordon's War

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Cast & Crew

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Ossie Davis

Director

Paul Winfield

Gordon Hudson

Carl Lee

Bee Bishop

David Downing

Otis Russell

Tony King

Roy Green

Gilbert Lewis

Spanish Harry

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Gordon's War

Gordon's War (1973) Gordon's War (1973) Gordon's War (1973) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When Army Green Beret Gordon (Paul Winfield) returns from Vietnam to Harlem in the early 1970s, he finds a different kind of war has been waged in his absence. Drug dealers and pimps have invaded his once-peaceful neighborhood, and their victims include his wife, now dead of an overdose. Reassembling his Army unit with fellow soldiers Bee (Carl Lee), Otis (David Downing) and Roy (Tony King), Gordon mounts a full-scale guerrilla war against the criminals and the businessmen behind them.
Director
Ossie Davis
Producer
Robert Schaffel
Screenwriter
Howard Friedlander, Ed Spielman
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox, Palomar Pictures International
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 9, 1973, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Jun 14, 2005
Runtime
1h 29m