| Original Gangstas | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Larry Cohen |
| Written by | Aubrey K. Rattan |
| Produced by | Wolf Schmidt Fred Williamson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Carlos González |
| Edited by | Peter B. Ellis David Kern |
| Music by | Vladimir Horunzhy |
Production company | Po' Boy Productions |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.6 million[1] |
| Box office | $4,000,000 (US)[2] |
Original Gangstas is a 1996 action-gangster film filmed and set in urban Gary, Indiana starring Blaxploitation film stars such as Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Ron O'Neal.[3] It is the final film directed by Larry Cohen before his death in 2019,[4] though he continued to write screenplays through 2010.
The film details the deteriorating state of an impoverished Gary neighborhood terrorized by a street gang called the Rebels. When the gang murders a local boy, it prompts the emergence of several individuals who grew up in the neighborhood: the original members of the Rebels.[5][6]
- ^ Patrick McGilligan, "Larry Cohen: Manic Energy", Backstory 4: Interviews with Hollywood Screenwriters of the 1970s and 1980s, University of California, 2006 p. 64
- ^ Original Gangstas at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Boyd, Todd (1996-06-09). "Listen to Their Rap". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ "Original Gangstas". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ Dretzka, Gary (1996-05-12). "RECLAIMING THEIR TURF IN 'ORIGINAL GANGSTAS,' FRED WILLIAMSON REUNITES A CAST OF FORMER 'BLAXPLOITATION' ACTORS AND HOPES TO WIN BACK AN ESTRANGED AUDIENCE". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ "Some Super Grown-ups Righteously Take Back The Streets - Philly.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-01-11.