Gordon's War

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Gordon's War

R

Released Aug 9, 1973

1h 29m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

47%

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.

Derek Adams

Time Out

Raised out of the ordinary by an ingenious safe raid, an above-average car chase, and some nice location work.

Jun 24, 2006

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Howard Thompson

New York Times

The picture is inconclusive, far from profound, and the urgency of the theme has been overly simplified to fit the action.

May 9, 2005

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

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.

Jan 1, 2000

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Gregory Mims

New Pittsburgh Courier

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.

Dec 13, 2021

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Alis Loewell

Los Angeles Free Press

Replete with a final chase scene that's the best I've seen since The French Connection.

Dec 31, 2019

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Audience Member

One of the best blaxploitation movies of the 70s

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

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!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

Good premise, but ultimately disappointing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Audience Member

(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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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douglas g

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

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

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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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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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: Palomar Pictures International, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1973, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Jun 14, 2005
Runtime: 1h 29m