Gordon's War

"They said it would take an army to get the mob out of Harlem. THIS IS THE ARMY! THIS IS GORDON'S WAR!"

1973 1h 30m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

60%

FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 4🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 445

AdventureActionCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A black soldier comes home to Harlem after a tour in Vietnam and discovers that his wife had become a heroin addict and died of an overdose. Infuriated, he gathers three of his ex-GI buddies and they lay out plans to fight the drug dealers.

“They said it would take an army to get the mob out of Harlem. THIS IS THE ARMY! THIS IS GORDON'S WAR!”

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Cast

Paul Winfield
Gordon Hudson
Carl Lee
Bee Bishop
David Downing
Otis Russell
Tony King
Roy Green
Gilbert Lewis
Spanish Harry
Grace Jones
Mary
Carl Gordon
Luther the Pimp
Nathan C. Heard
Big Pink

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ossie Davis
Writers: Howard Friedlander, Ed Spielman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ossie Davis, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Eric Albertson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Winfield and Carl Lee and David Downing carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They said it would take an army to get the mob out of Harlem. THIS IS THE ARMY! THIS IS GORDON'S WAR!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0070124 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ossie Davis directs. Victor J. Kemper behind the camera. Angelo Badalamenti scores. Eric Albertson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
253 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Ossie Davis, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Eric Albertson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Winfield and Carl Lee and David Downing carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "They said it would take an army to get the mob out of Harlem. THIS IS THE ARMY! THIS IS GORDON'S WAR!".
8IMDB entry: tt0070124 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.