THE SEVEN-UPS
US, 1973, 103 minutes, Colour.
Roy Scheider, Victor Arnold, Jerry Loan, Ken Kercheval, Tony Lo Bianco, Richard Lynch.
Directed by Phillip D'Antoni.
'The French Connection' popularised the tough police genre without chasing after the glamour. This film follows in that vein though veering towards the fashionable glamour of the chase. The former film made Roy Scheider a bigger star. Here he is the rather unsympathetic leader of a special squad of police who investigate a kidnapping racket. As a film of New York police work, corruption etc., it is quite effective. The car chase is rather breathlessly spectacular, its ending dramatically abrupt. Films like this make one wonder what motivates these intense police, their strong fraternity loyalities threathened by violent death and their obsessive relentlessness in righting wrongs.
1. How successful was this film within the police genre? The quality of its action, the presentation of a violent world, of justice, and the inevitable car chase? How well did the film use police conventions? Did it transcend them?
2. What was the attitude of the film towards the police. A dispassionate presentation of them? Taking sides for them? The presentation of the persons themselves and the effect of their work on their personalities? How realistic a picture of the police do you think this was?
3. The presentation of the kidnapping sgstem? How interesting in itself? The skilfulness of the film in presenting this complicated crime ring? The role of the police against it? As being identified with it? How was the response of the Seven-ups adequate for this kind of organized crime? The example of the shop and the raid at the beginning? Which other examples illustrated this?
4. Was Buddy an easy hero to identify with? What motivated him? How was this evident in the film? The quality of the Seven-ups with their methods and team-work? How much did you approve of them and their work? What could be said in favour of their work and methods? What was against them? Their attitude towards law, justice, criminals? The example in the shop and the breaking of the art work to get the drugs? Their work with cars? The effect of the death of companions on them? Their relentlessness? Did the film portray well the support they had within the police force? Were the arguments for them presented fairly? Were these based on police corruption or on public opinion?
6. The presentation of Veto as a criminal? The intricacy of his role in the film? As a focus for the Seven-ups and their quest, as a focus for the criminals and his information for them? The style of the filming of his contact with Buddy? The interaction between them as a humane interest for the film? The impact of the double-cross. This as inevitable in police work?
7. How successful was the presentation of Moon as a criminal? our seeing him in his garage work? His work in the kidnappings? His callous attitude towards life? How useful was he for understanding the criminal mentality?
8. Comment on the way details were filmed - and their impact for the effect of the film? The use of the car wash, the drama of the chase and its abrupt ending, the sequence in the hospital with the oxygen mask, the final intricacy of the shoot-out?
9. What impact did the ending have? The effect on Buddy and his future work? The end for Veto and his being attacked by the criminals?
10. How valuable are films like this for entertainment? For a picture of modern American society? For insights into law and justice and modern values against crime?
