Original Gangstas (1996)

"Original Gangstas" (1996) is an urban action film featuring the legends of the Blaxploitation Era, Fred Williamson, Jim Browm, Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree, Paul Winfield, and Ron O'Neal. Larry Cohen and Williamson directed the movie, and Aubrey K. Rattan was responsible for the writing. Williamson's company, Po' Boy Productions, produced the film, and Orion Pictures distributed it. The movie also stars Isabel Sanford, Oscar Brown Jr., Christopher B. Duncan, Eddie Bo Smith Jr., Dru Down, and Shyheim Franklin.

Over 15 years had passed since the end of the Blaxploitation Era, so this movie reunited some of the most popular black actors from the 1970s. This film is fascinating because it combines 90s urban and 70s black action movies, which aren't too different. "Original Gangstas" is a violent film but an entertaining piece of cinema. In addition, the soundtrack is a mixture of hip-hop and RnB and peaked at #41 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Starring Fred Williamson, Jim Browm, Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree, Paul Winfield, Ron O'Neal, Robert Forster, Isabel Sanford, Oscar Brown Jr., Christopher B. Duncan, Eddie Bo Smith Jr., Dru Down, Shyheim Franklin, Charles Napier, Wings Hauser, Frank Pesce, Godfrey, Tim Rhoze, Seraiah Carol, Dawn Stern, Timothy Lewis

Storyline

John Bookman (Fred Williamson) returns home to Gary, Indiana, when a local gang shoots his father in retaliation to him snitching to the police about a murder committed. Discovering the town overrun with violent street gangs, John is even more horrified to learn the Rebels shot his father, a gang John helped form in his youth. John teams up with Jake (Jim Brown) and Laurie (Pam Grier), the parents of a boy who was also killed by a Rebel, to organize their neighborhood against gang violence.