Although known primarily as a "blaxploitation" film, it holds many Neo Noir elements including police procedural (including Anthony Quinn as a slightly crooked cop with a good heart); poor sympathetic criminals stealing from unsympathetic rich criminals; and different factions of the mob and/or gangs.
The $300,000 stolen would equate to over $2M in 2021.
This was the first film shot with the Arriflex 35 BL camera. This camera was revolutionary at the time, being smaller and very lightweight for a 35 mm sound camera. In addition, it was much quieter than any previous camera, allowing sound filming in tight locations and eliminating the need for post-production dubbing.
110th Street in Manhattan is the southern boundary of Harlem and the northern boundary of Central Park. It is known as Central Park North along the northern edge of the park.
Anthony Quinn hoped to cast Sidney Poitier as Lt. Hope, Harry Belafonte as Jim Harris and Sammy Davis Jr. as Henry J. Jackson. However, the community of Harlem objected to these choices, as they were from Hollywood and not the city streets, so they doubted their ability to accurately portray city life. Quinn relented.
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