The Seven-Ups

The Seven-Ups (1973)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Philip D’Antoni

Starring: Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Richard Lynch, Larry Haines, Bill Hickman

From: 20^th Century Fox

After feeling too “blah” to watch any films on Tuesday night-it was a night where I felt that “everything is lousy”-I felt better after that day off so last night I went to the DVR and saw a recording made last week on Turner Classic Movies. A 70’s cop movie will get my attention anyhow but a car chase sequence that is held in high regard… actually, it’s the sort of picture where there’s no good excuse for my lack of viewing until now, its lack of availability concerning legal streaming notwithstanding.

As this stars Roy Scheider as an NYC cop and there are a few other The French Connection connections, it’s no surprise that I would end up thinking of this as very good overall. Roy’s character (who isn’t too different from Cloudy Russo) leads a small group of police officers who use unorthodox tactics-which yes, sometimes means rather bad behavior-to land bad guys in prison for at least 7 years—points at the TV like I’m Rick Dalton. We witness dirty dealings, kidnappings, and other crimes; as Richard Lynch is in the cast playing a character known as Moon, is it really a spoiler to say that he’s one of the bad guys? In short, those kidnappings are done by villains posing as cops.

It's a tough and gritty look at a world full of money exchanges and two-person conversations in fancy hotels, greenhouses, school campuses, and all other sorts of locations. The legendary car chase is done after a funeral; that scene deserves its accolades as one of the best in cinematic history. Producer Philip D’Antoni (who had that job for both The French Connection and Bullitt) had his sole directorial credit here-this is one of the best “one and done” director’s performances you’ll ever see. Heck, one night of this, Bullitt and Connection will be a great night for you, at least if you share my tastes.

A great Don Ellis score, a nice escalation of tension, Scheider at his very best, a look at The Bad New York City of Old-another favorite trope of mine-Joe Spinell playing exactly the sort of hood you’d expect him to--maybe one day this movie will be easier for everyone to see.