"Harlem as a lawless territory where vigilante justice is the only type of justice that anyone will ever see...."
That idea is based on reality only up to a point. The biggest exception was/is the affluent Sugar Hill neighborhood, the home of Harlem's more affluent and famous residents. But the police, as many of us now know well, tend to treat all Blacks regardless of socioeconomic status in a lowly fashion, so Gordon knew they wouldn't help. But being a Vietnam vet clearly worked in his favor, as it did for Jim Brown's Slaughter earlier.
Once upon a time, Harlem was a thriving and influential part of New York, but by the 70s that time had largely passed. That the filmmakers also got correct.
"Harlem as a lawless territory where vigilante justice is the only type of justice that anyone will ever see...."
That idea is based on reality only up to a point. The biggest exception was/is the affluent Sugar Hill neighborhood, the home of Harlem's more affluent and famous residents. But the police, as many of us now know well, tend to treat all Blacks regardless of socioeconomic status in a lowly fashion, so Gordon knew they wouldn't help. But being a Vietnam vet clearly worked in his favor, as it did for Jim Brown's Slaughter earlier.
Once upon a time, Harlem was a thriving and influential part of New York, but by the 70s that time had largely passed. That the filmmakers also got correct.
(RIP Ossie Davis).