The Seven-Ups

Trailer—The Seven-Ups

The Seven-Ups

Of the three imaginary trinity by Philip D'Antoni, I would rate The Seven-Ups as the 2nd best. It does not reach the level of The French Connection, but I found it more interesting than Bullitt where silence and mute scenes were too prevailing. The car chase was impressive again - although it is difficult to believe that even then, in the 1970ies, one could drive recklessly in New York, causing incidents and accidents, for tens of minutes without seeing lots of policemen... The cast is also more even than in Bullitt, with more character actors such as Larry Haines or particularly Richard Lynch; Roy Schreider was high-level as usual. Inclusion of mobsters and white-collar fraudsters enables to alter the pace and enclose long yet interesting discourses about multiple issues. The very ending could be have more sophisticated, however. Nevertheless, a strong crime thriller, with events developing without constant shootings-explosions and "witty" cues.

The Seven Ups from a reality standpoint is by far the best produced police drama ever to hit the screen. The story encompasses all the pitfalls and dangers of police undercover work and the alliances between partners as well as the relationships and betrayals of informers. The cast is superb and what made it real and gritty is none of the actors at the time were big stars. The best scene undoubtedly is the ending when Tony Lobianco is pleading with Roy Schieder The music steadily increases and Roy Schieder keeps walking away. The story line is timeless and can be translated every 20 to 25 years in modern remake form. I have been waiting for this movie to be produced on DVD

"The Seven-Ups", an unofficial sequel of sorts to "The French Connection", does have some merit here and there. The movie does capture well the cold and dirty feeling of New York City in the early 1970s before it was eventually cleaned up. And every so often there is a good moment - the opening bust sequence, the robbery at the car wash, several tough interrogations, and of course the car chase sequence, a chase that has become a classic of sorts. The cast also does well with what they are given, though what they are given is not much. The characters are kind of thin; all we pretty much learn about them is that they don't play by the rules. The story is kind of slow, and there are some confusing details that don't get explained for a long time (or at all). If you are a fan of '70s crime drama, there's probably enough here to make it worth a viewing. If you are not, you might want to look elsewhere.

What an underrated flick. Great action.Great tension.The only thing (you could ask for) would have been Friedkin directing it. I know, I know. Same year as Exorcist. Still... One comment which was made referred to the plot being confusing which I slightly agree with. Friedkin might have cracked the whip on that part. I always thought you could do a lot of different things in a car wash. And Moon!!! Thank God for Richard Lynch. What an actor.And the driver. He should have acted more. Great menace.With those little glasses. Also underrated is Roy. He never got his due. He should have won for All That Jazz. FC II is great, but this is too overlooked. p.s. AVOID THE NEW EXORCIST. Wait for Schraeder DVD.

This is not a great movie, but it evokes a time and a place, and a style that goes along with it. A gritty 70's police drama, it takes place in a New York winter of gray skies, bare trees, wet gutters, litter and graffiti, when the crooks had no cell phones, cars smelled of vinyl and exhaust fumes, and the computer was the noisy thing that printed the suspect's rap sheet on a roll of yellow paper. The acting, it must be admitted, is routine, but Roy Scheider and the rest portray an undercover squad of calm professionals to whom danger has become routine. The story manages to be interesting, punctuated by one exciting Popeye Doyle style car chase through the Sunday streets (judging by the light traffic) and up the Taconic State Parkway, and two nerve-wracking scenes in the belly of an automatic car wash. But for all the occasional bursts of violence, it's also a quiet story of a friendship that can't withstand the temptations of crime.

I was born in '68 with not much parental guidance as far as what I watched on TV (as a kid in the 70's). I always loved this movie (and the French Connection) and would always try to catch it whenever it was on (checking the Sunday TV guide ahead of time). I bought it on DVD a few years ago and have watched it twice since then and I must say, I STILL LOVE IT!!!! Roy S. was a great actor from the 70's (Jaws is one of my all-time favs, Marathon Man etc) and although the 7-ups is not an Oscar-worthy film, it puts you precisely in a time a place (NY, early 70's, as did French Connection) and gives you some tough characters and a glimpse of life as a cop at that time. And yes, the car chase is one of the all-time best.