A Piece of the Action (1977)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Sidney Poitier

Writers:

Charles Blackwell (writer)
Timothy March (story)

Release Date:

27 February 1978 (Denmark)

Genre:

Crime | Comedy

Tagline:

A delightfully delicious dilemma!

Plot:

Dave Anderson and Manny Durrell are two high-class sneak thieves who have never been caught. Joshua...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Unemployment | Chicago Illinois | El Train | Organized Crime

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Manny Durrell
Bill Cosby	...	Dave Anderson
James Earl Jones	...	Joshua Burke
Denise Nicholas	...	Lila French
Hope Clarke	...	Sarah Thomas
Tracy Reed	...	Nikki McLean
Titos Vandis	...	Bruno
Frances Foster	...	Bea Quitman
Jason Evers	...	Ty Shorter
Marc Lawrence	...	Louie
Ja'net DuBois	...	Nellie Bond
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Larry Beecham	...	Percy 'Bubba' Watkins
Thomas Benjamin	...	Anthony
Tamu Blackwell	...	Cheryl
Jack Brami	...	Jesus
Gammy Burdett	...	Emma McLean
Gloria Delaney	...	Secretary
Rudy Diaz	...	Stosh
Dianne Dixon	...	Denise Orville
Estelle Evans	...	Alberta Ballard
Kurt Grayson	...	Dirk
Eric Laneuville	...	Gerald
Edward Love	...	Willie Mangum
Bryan O'Dell	...	Roscoe
Cyril Poitier	...	Mr. Theodore
Sherri Poitier	...	Cookie
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Barbara Hanley
Albert Reed	...	Randolph Ballard
Pat Renella	...	Nikos
Angus Scrimm	...	Monk (as Lawrence Guy)
Karole Selmon	...	Sheila Moran
Essex Smith	...	Maintenance Man
Wonderful Smith	...	Daniel McLean
Ernest Thomas	...	John
Theoris Usher	...	Malcom Pomeroy
Steve Vignari	...	Cesar
Bill Walker	...	Clair Hurst
Candy Ward	...	Hedda Champion
James Wheaton	...	Voisin Waiter
Frances E. Williams	...	Naomi Chamberlain

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

First Artists

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Century of Black Cinema (2003) (V)

Good at times but didn't make sense

I had a hard time figuring this movie out. Eventually all the pieces were put together and explained. I thought James Earl Jones did a great job as the retired detective who had big plans for Manny and Dave. Bill Cosby was funny as usual as Dave, and Sidney Poitier did a capable job as Manny, though this sort of movie isn't typical of his talent. If anything, Jones was playing the role that Poitier should have, because Poitier is such a brilliant actor. But so is Jones.

At times this resembled 'To Sir, With Love' (which I have never seen in its entirety but hope to), since Manny ended up playing a similar role. Manny and Dave were so funny trying to figure out a way out of their predicament or at least make the best of it if they couldn't. The kids were good in a 'Welcome Back, Kotter' sort of way.

The real problem with this movie was that it got too confusing. A simple story about the detective conning the guys into helping the less fortunate city kids might have been better. But then the other set of crooks made the story complicated, though still funny.

I always enjoy Bill Cosby, anyway, and James Earl Jones plays such good characters. Sidney Poitier adds quality to whatever he does.