Directed by Sidney Poitier
Written by Richard Wesley
Starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Paula Kelly, Rosalind Cash, Roscoe Lee Browne, Johnny Sekka and Calvin Lockhart
USA, 1974
This buddy comedy about a couple blue-collar guys who get in over their heads when they’re robbed at an upscale den of sin not only stars but was also directed by Sidney Poitier, a welcome surprise since I was watching it mainly for my continued viewing of Harry Belafonte movies. Turns out Belafonte is only in the last third of this film, though his role as a Vito Corleone-esque gangster, while cartoonish, is memorable.
Poitier stars as one half of the blue-collar buddy duo, who realizes when he was robbed, he lost a winning lottery ticket, and enlists his buddy to descend step by step into Chicago’s underworld in an attempt to track it down.
The other half of the buddy duo is none other than Bill Cosby, which will be a problematic presence for some viewers. I found it interesting to see Cosby in a more “adult” role (as in, not for kids but not exactly dirty) since I grew up with him either on children’s programming or family sitcoms and had never really seen him do comedy for grown ups before. Of course, what he was up to in his personal life over all these years is inexcusable, so it’s understandable if some viewers choose to skip this one all together due to his presence.
The rest of the cast is a who’s-who of recognizable names, including Richard Pryor as a private investigator and Flip Wilson as a reverend.
Although I like the premise and the cast, the comedy, as executed, was a little broad for my tastes, and wore out its welcome by the time the movie decides to replace a climax with an endless chase scene. Still, the movie is worth watching to see Poitier play an every man in a pair of bumbling buddies who gets increasingly desperate as the action unfolds – it’s not the type of role I’m used to seeing him in and he’s great at it.
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