Top of the Heap

"Top of the Heap" is a film written, directed, produced AND starring Christopher St. John. And, while I wanted to like the movie, it was just a jumbled mess and figuring out what St. John was trying to say wasn't easy to determine as I watched. Perhaps there's a good movie hiding under all this...but as it is, I cannot recommend this one.

George (St. John) is a middle-aged DC cop who is clearly disaffected with his job and his life. He's been passed over for promotions several times, his marriage is on the skids, his daughter is using drugs and George has to deal with racism all the time. All of this is VERY interesting...or at least should have been. Sadly, the film didn't seem to know where it was going and so many times when the film started gaining some momentum, the plot would go off the deep end! Again and again, you see weird interludes...like day dreams...right in the middle of the movie. In many, he's an astronaut...or, more precisely, an astronaut who's helping fake a moon landing. Why? I honestly have no idea whatsoever....and the same could be said about the scene with his personal nurse....no idea whatsoever why it went there.

It's all really a shame. The movie could have been a wonderful blaxploitation film with a point to make about black men working within the system....but the weird storytelling, editing, bizarre dreamlike sequences and writing really leave you confused and disappointed.

I can only imagine the looks on the faces of patrons who went to see this when it was originally released to theaters. The closest I can describe it is an R-rated take on Walter Mitty, with the central character repeatedly daydreaming of being an astronaut while his real life is a hellhole. It's certainly an imaginative exercise, but ultimately proves frustrating because of its almost episodic nature, plus a number of murky details (for example, we don't learn that he has more than one kid in his family until it's mentioned near the end of the movie!)

Still, if you choose to watch it (take breaks during your watching, so you don't get too strained), it does provide some entertainment and interesting moments. For one thing, this is one of the few black-themed movies of the time that isn't fully sympathetic towards its lead character. It's also one of the few that has some likable white characters; in fact, the movie seems more against "the system" than whites in general. There are also a few genuinely hilarious moments. Despite all this, the movie is still best appreciated as an artifact than a piece of entertainment.

Christopher St. John wrote, produced, directed and stars in this ridiculous blaxploitation drama about an angry black cop and family man in Washington, D.C., fighting the system and fighting himself. St. John, dropping n-words and f-bombs angrily but casually, isn't much of an actor--his direction is actually better than his own performance--and he's not a strong writer, either; his political, racial and sexual underpinnings aren't used for urban commentary, only shock value. This is a relentlessly cynical exploration of corruption and injustice; our hero fantasizes about being an important brother (such as an astronaut who plants the American flag on the moon) while, in reality, white people riot in a mud puddle tearing the flag apart. He's surrounded by indifference and dissension...and a wife who putters around in a housecoat nagging at him. Paula Kelly (in and out of her clothes) as St. John's "black chick" on the side and Allen Garfield as an irate cab driver give the cheap histrionics some professional polish. The rest is jive, turkey. * from ****

This film essentially begins with a black police officer by the name of "George Lattimer" (Christopher St. John) being informed that he has just been passed over for promotion. Just prior to that, however, he also learns that his mother has passed away as well. Needless to say, these two events take a significant emotional toll upon him and, when combined with the hostility he receives from simply trying to do his job, combines to add to his despair. And no matter which way he turns, he cannot seem to find any peace. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those films which had a certain amount of potential but failed to really deliver on it. It was just too slow and boring. Likewise, I recall several times during the course of the movie that I kept checking my watch hoping that it would come to an end. That's how boring it was. That being said, this is not a film that I would recommend to anyone, and I have rated it according.

It's rare to find a true gem in the large pile of forgotten 70s films. I'm a 70s film buff so I have dug deep into this pile. Top of the Heap is a hidden gem. Unusual narrative keeps your interest. I would not include this in the "blaxploitation" genre (I have seen at least 30 films in this genre), but the movie certainly explore many themes of being an African-American in 70s America. It's certainly not a top rated movie by any means, but a decent watch and well above average.