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      The Monkey Hustle

      PG Released Dec 24, 1976 1h 30m Action List
      Reviews 20% Audience Score 100+ Ratings Slick Chicago street hustler Big Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto) lives comfortably off petty confidence scams that he pulls with the help of loyal teenage acolytes Baby 'D (Kirk Calloway), Tiny (Donn Harper) and Player (Thomas Carter). His business is jeopardized, however, when he runs afoul of neighborhood racketeer Goldie (Rudy Ray Moore). Their rivalry escalates until the threat of a freeway being built through their neighborhood obliges them to cooperate in order to fight city hall. Read More Read Less

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      Critics Reviews

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      Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Monkey Hustle is a good-hearted muddle, a totally confused movie that manages to be fun from time to time. Rated: 1.5/4 Jul 10, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Gotta monkey hustle goin'. Gotta hustle! A group of con artists in a Chicago neighborhood have their game threatened by those who wish to build a highway through the neighborhood. The hustlers struggle to make ends meet and the highway isn't going to make things easier. The hustlers have to hustle to keep their girls, their status in the neighborhood, and some bread; now, they have to hustle to keep their homes! "Put that trash in the garbage can, not in my ear." Arthur Marks, director of Detroit 9000, Class of '74, Bucktown, Friday Foster, J.D.'s Revenge, and episodes of Perry Mason, Starsky and Hutch, and Dukes of Hazzard, delivers Monkey Hustle. The storyline for this picture is pretty weak but the dialogue and characters are fun. The acting is fairly mediocre and the cast includes Yaphet Kotto, Thomas Carter, Randy Brooks, Debbi Morgan, and Rudy Ray Moore. "Tonight I'm going out with a doer." Monkey Hustle is a movie I caught because I love the old Blaxploitation films. I can't say I have thought any of Marks additions to the genre were classics, but they generally have entertaining soundtracks and dialogue. The dialogue in this was solid but the soundtrack was just okay but the execution of the movie was below average. Overall, this is a bit disappointing and isn't really worth your time. "If you're going to steal, steal big!" Grade: C- Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member CAN'T BELIEVE I SAT HERE N WATCHED THIS... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member decent movie, but not the best. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A plot that makes no sense with scenes that start in the middle. But still fun on account of some really colorful characters. And Rudy Ray Moore always steals the show when on screen. My Grade: C+ Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Everybody has a hustle Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Monkey Hustle

      The Monkey Hustle (1976) The Monkey Hustle (1976) The Monkey Hustle (1976) The Monkey Hustle (1976) The Monkey Hustle (1976) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Slick Chicago street hustler Big Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto) lives comfortably off petty confidence scams that he pulls with the help of loyal teenage acolytes Baby 'D (Kirk Calloway), Tiny (Donn Harper) and Player (Thomas Carter). His business is jeopardized, however, when he runs afoul of neighborhood racketeer Goldie (Rudy Ray Moore). Their rivalry escalates until the threat of a freeway being built through their neighborhood obliges them to cooperate in order to fight city hall.
      Director
      Arthur Marks
      Screenwriter
      Charles Eric Johnson
      Production Co
      American International Pictures (AIP)
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Action
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 24, 1976, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 10, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 30m
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