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The Something Weird Video title for this is "Black Rebels", but that's really not a very good title, since while there are blacks in the film, they're not the main characters. This is more gang rivalry and drug pushing, and a few murders thrown in for good luck. As is typical of some of the films of this era, these are some of the oldest-looking "teenagers" you've ever seen. Two undercover cops have been placed into a high school to infiltrate & break up some of the gangs & nail some of the drug pushers, and one of these guys is supposed to be "part black, part Mexican", but while the kids seem to realize that he is, the viewer might not. The Mexicans don't want him & neither do the blacks, but since he's an undercover cop, they're both probably better off.At the time, this may have been a serious attempt to look at social issues in today's society, specifically those among high-school students, but viewed now, it's fairly laughable. There are a couple of moments though that are actually somewhat disturbing, like when the white gang catches a black man & start painting him white. And one of the white gang members giving three little black boys joints to smoke was not too cool either. But, on the plus side there's also a scene with a guy and a girl playing "horsey" that looks entirely like something else until you get the full view, plus I think the music in the background may have been The Ventures.There are actually some big names in this one: Rita Moreno, Mark Damon, Jay Novello, Gerald Mohr & Dyan Cannon. Cannon (I believe) plays a hanger-on of the white gang only to be shunned when they realize she's black. !? Despite the fairly big-name cast, this might have been a well-meaning film at the time but it doesn't quite come off that way now. Still worth seeing though, for a couple laughs & cringes. 6 out of 10.
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