SnoopyStyle
Buddy Manucci (Roy Scheider) leads a group of NYPD detectives known as The Seven-Ups. They use questionable tactics to catch criminal for sentences of seven years and up. They don't follow the rules just to give short stays in jail. There is a highly skilled crew kidnapping mobsters for ransom.The story could be clarified a bit more. It needs more exposition. The police portrayal is gritty but also a little confused. However this is all about the chase scene. It is high energy. It goes through NYC and out. It is really long and extended. There is plenty of destruction. This is Philip D'Antoni's only directing credit but he was a producer on Bullitt and The French Connection. He definitely took great notes on those film productions.
Wizard-8
"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.
lost-in-limbo
From the man who brought cinema-goers 1968 "Bullit" and 1971 "The French Connection", Philip D'Antoni goes on to produce, but also make his directorial debut with the realistic, tough-as-nails crime thriller "The Seven-Ups" starring an unwavering Roy Scheider as the leader of a secret squad of the New York police who got their name from the minimum sentence of their targeted gangsters. Things go pear shape when their own is killed in action and the men seek their own justice. While this urban cop formula might be overworked, it's rather well-done for its type with exciting passages like the scorchingly intense high- speed car chase. It's masterful in its execution and camera positional work. D'Antoni resourcefully keeps a fast pace, where tension is sustained through good writing, elaborate plotting (where it does show its cards early), vivid performances and well-timed thrills and spills with smooth editing. Really it's quite minimal on the action leaning towards the investigative digging, but when it occurs it's explosive and raw. Just the way the 70s loved it. One thing that did catch my attention was Don Ellis' dangerously impulsive music score. Very unhinged, but it did suit the film's dark, relentless tone. The story is very much character based and the performances are assured across the board. Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon and Ken Kercheval make-up the rest of "The Seven-ups". Tony Lo Bianco magnificently holds up alongside Scheider as his go-to-man for information. Then there's Larry Haines as one the head mobsters. However in the bad guy roles it was Bill Hickman and especially the striking Richard Lynch who stood out. Lynch was terrifically menacing. Also in a minor part is genre actor Joe Spinell. Compelling, lean and mean 70's cop drama.
jcohen1
Any fan of The French Connection and Bullitt would be duty bound to see The Seven Ups. I saw it back in the day and again today. Seven Up only flattens with age. Scheider doesn't have any standout lines and the best I can say is I like his leather jacket. He can't carry a picture like Hackman or McQueen They say his squad is an elite unit but they operate out of a gym locker. This movie is three grades down from The French Connection and Bullitt. Yes the car chase scenes are good but not as impressive as the earlier versions. There are no women in this flick I guess they didn't want to take the #5 uptown. LoBianco is somewhat interesting. This is a movie I wanted to like for all the history it brings and the Bronx locales including Tracy Towers & DeWitt Clinton High School. I graded on a curve for the old neighborhood.
AD
