The Seven-Ups is a fascist daydream beyond almost any cinematic compare, certainly American cinema (except maybe a Charles Bronson movie from the 1980s or something). And it’s not a cheap, 1970s exploitation picture either. Yes, to some degree it’s cheap (Roy Scheider and Tony Lo Bianco are the only two recognizable principals), but producer and director Philip D’Antoni also produced Bullitt and The French Connection, and The Seven-Ups is something like a cheap version of French Connection. Scheider’s okay, but he doesn’t real create a character in Seven-Ups because there’s nothing in the script. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but the film’s absent of any subtext.
Oh, before I forget–this film is so fascist, when I was looking up director D’Antoni, I really expected his biography to mention he went into exile after Mussolini went out of power. The film’s incredible–I imagine it’s a neo-con’s wet dream.
Actually, D’Antoni’s a really good director, so good it’s unfortunate Seven-Ups is his only directorial effort. He’s not particularly good with actors, but his composition and his sense of timing are fantastic. Seven-Ups has a great ten minute car chase in it, notable mostly because it gives a lovely tour of early 1970s New York, but it’s still good stuff. I kept finding really good shots throughout the film, which made its failures more and more glaring.
The Seven-Ups is a good looking film, but it’s incredibly dumb. Watching it, I kept having remind myself films can be dumb no matter when they’re from–you don’t need CG to be dumb, all it takes is bad writing, which has been around since people started doing it. In many ways, it’s like a TV show–a really well produced one–but the set pieces in the film really reminded me of things I’ve seen on TV. Not the car chase, fine, but there are these sequences (with scary music) of being in a car wash… and scary car washes really scream TV show for some reason.
As an easily accessible filmic travelogue of 1970s New York, if one cares about that sort of thing, it’s essential. As a film… eh. There are these great villains and the film doesn’t even get the pay-off right, which makes the whole thing sort of… eh.
CREDITS
Produced and directed by Philip D’Antoni; screenplay by Albert Ruben and Alexander Jacobs, based on a story by Sonny Grosso; director of photography, Urs Furrer; edited by John C. Horger and Stephen A. Rotter; music by Don Ellis; released by 20th Century Fox.
Starring Roy Scheider (Buddy Manucci), Tony Lo Blanco (Vito), Larry Haines (Max Kalish), Victor Arnold (Barilli), Jerry Leon (Mingo), Ken Kercheval (Ansel), Richard Lynch (Moon) and Bill Hickman (Bo).
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Ken Karpinski // Mar 31, 2007 at 11:27 pm
“The Seven-Ups” review’s third paragraph needs an italicized “The” in title.
Mark Espinola // May 23, 2009 at 2:15 am
Only a leftist social malcontent could type “The Seven-Ups is a fascist daydream” concerning one of the best movies about
an elite group of undercover NYC detectives called the Seven-Ups; to seek,capture and send hardened crooks to Sing Sing for 7 years or more.
Ex-NYC detective Sonny Grosso ( the real life “Cloudy” of “The French Connection” fame ) penned the story for “The Seven Ups” based upon some of his own personal experiences and observations while in the NYPD.
The entire cast in this gritty 1973 picture is top notch. Roy Scheider & Tony Lo Bianco are the lead actors and damn good in this movie, shot very realistically during an icy NYC winter, prior to the era of computer graphics.
Richard Lynch playing bad guy ‘Moon’ is the personification of an evil shake-down artist and gun for hire killer. Stunt drive/actor Bill Hickman as the second half of the bad guy team is at his best behind the wheel of the ultra-fast, 4 door 1973 Pontiac Granville with a 455–4 engine get-a-way car, chased by detective Roy Scheider’s (as Buddy) smaller, yet just as powerful 1973 Pontiac Ventura.
There are so many now classic ‘real’ full-size American automobiles to view all through this New York police drama, which is something else liberal pinkos driving around in their bathtubs on 4 wheels — also hate.
So, aggravate a liberal, buy, sit back an enjoy pre-PC New York City in the intense motion picture, The Seven Ups!