Gordon's War

After playing a villain in Trouble Man, Paul Winfield was then cast by director Ossie Davis as Gordon Hudson, a Vietnam vet who starts an all-out war on the drug pushers in Harlem after his wife died of an overdose. He gets help from fellow veterans Bee Bishop (Carl Lee), Otis Russell (David Downing), and Roy Green (Tony King). Among the people they're after: Luther the Pimp (Carl Gordon) and Spanish Harry (Gilbert Lewis). Not all is serious, though, during one scene Roy gets very lucky with a fine white woman (Jackie Page credited as "Bedroom Girl") and you get to see...oh, watch the movie. Also, music artist Grace Jones appears as Mary, one of many naked women assembling the stuff in abandoned buildings. Lots of cool explosions and a climatic chase of a car pursuing a motorcycle keeps the film on an exciting level. So on that note, Gordon's War is worth a look. P.S. On the Wikipedia site, it's revealed that Lewis was the original King of Cartoons on "Pee-wee's Playhouse". He'd eventually be replaced by William "Blacula" Marshall.

I love this one alot I've seen it now about 12 times. Such a great perfomance by the main character .Good gritty Harlem NYC locations and situations.This film really hits home for me ,I grew up on some of those filthy streets .One mans noble mission to rid the neighborhood of this poison called drugs,is the focus of this film .Ozzie we love you ! I only wish this was true life . I would tell anyone to give this a try one evening ,but it seems to be such a rare piece...

Now in many ways, GORDON'S WAR and the comedy I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA are very, very dissimilar movies. However, if you think about the basic plot, the stories are practically the same. Both feature a soldier coming home to find out someone they love was killed by gangs of pushers. Both then consist of the leading men gathering a group of Vietnam vets to put the hurt on the dealers and eventually kill off "Mr. Big".

Now GORDON'S WAR might easily be categorized as a "Blaxploitation Film", but in many ways it defies the genre. Whites aren't really even mentioned in this film and most of the warfare is directed against Black drug dealers, so the anti-White America rhetoric is missing. Plus, the film, while violent and idealizing vigilantism, has a much more positive message than many films of the genre. But of course, for those who love Blaxploitation, rest assured that this one still has a lot of amazing violence, lots of boobs and tough "take no crap from anyone" leading men.

In this case, the lead is played by a man not associated with the genre, Paul Winfield. Winfield returns from 'Nam to discover that his wife got hooked on drugs and died. Instead of brooding about it, he vows to clean up the ghetto with the help of his army buddies.

The film, while not especially deep, has a lot of action, a fantastic musical score (one of the best of the era) and is entertaining throughout. Well worth viewing.

Gordon's War is an overlooked gem that needs to be seen by any fan of 70's Blackspoitation.

I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to Blaxploitation cinema, but I've seen enough films by now to know that I root for the underdog titles rather than the popular blockbusters. Flamboyant and famous genre classics like "Shaft", "Foxy Brown" or "Black Caesar" may be entertaining, but I prefer the raw and desolate atmosphere of unsung gems like "Across 110th Street", "Ganja and Hess", "Fight for your Life" or "The Spook who sat by the Door". Ossie Davis' "Gordon's War" can definitely also be added to that shortlist from now on as well! This film doesn't rely on the groovy charisma of one single lead- player (although Paul Winfield is truly fantastic) but instead it portrays a harsh and saddening image of life in the decaying big city ghettos. Mostly thanks to the authentic Harlem filming locations, in combination with a straightforward no-nonsense script and a handful of marvelous action sequences, "Gordon's War" is a rewarding Blaxploitation gem worth tracking down. Decorated war hero Gordon Hudson returns from Vietnam only to find out that his beloved wife died of an overdose and that a whole generation of Harlem youngsters is falling victim to lousy heroine. You know the revenge/vigilante routine from here onward: Gordon assembles his army buddies and go back to war, only this time it's a personal battle against the drug pushers on the streets and crime lords who provide them. Apart from being a fast- paced and competently made thriller, "Gordon's War" is also memorable for featuring one of the most inventive safe raids I've ever seen and the bizarre supporting role of Grace Jones in her first screen appearance. The abrupt finale is a bit of a letdown, though, and the film could have done without the clichéd "oh-we-used-to-be-so-happy" flashbacks.