It was the first time I saw Harvey Keitel, and I instantly became a fan. He is definitely one of America’s finest dramatic actors. Also outstanding are Richard Pryor and Yaphet Kotto (Alien), sharing lead role credits.
I saw the film in Knoxville when it first came out, based on a positive review in Time. My girlfriend and I were the only whites there; with two black stars, (not to mention that one was Richard Pryor), the audience was primarily black, and definitely in the mood to see Pryor’s comedy antics.
And he did not disappoint. Pryor hams it up as only he can, and the misadventures of the hapless Detoit auto workers played by the three leads (dubbed “The Oreo Gang” in the film) are indeed hysterically funny. The audience, like all black audiences, really is getting into the movie, commenting on what’s on the screen, cracking jokes, yelling warnings and advice to the characters, and otherwise participating in as well as observing the action.
But the movie is not a comedy, and half-way through, it starts to get serious, deadly serious. Pryor morphs imperceptibly from the stereotypical and over-the-top character he usually plays to a powerful dramatic role, in one of the most remarkable transformations I have ever seen on film. The man could act.
The audience became silent, the wisecracks and jibes stopped, and everyone stared silently at the screen as the tragic story unfolded to its inevitable and tragic conclusion.
For the last hour, you could have heard a pin drop in the theater. No one was laughing, and everyone was paying attention.
When the film was over, the audience marched silently out of the auditorim, no one was talking, and everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts.
A fine blues score by Ry Cooder backs up the soundtrack. The music alone is worth the price of admission. If you see this one on TV, don’t miss it.