Proto-blaxploitation and proto-buddy cops, along with sharp social satire, authentic New York flavor and locations, and an absolutely first-rate car chase that stands among the best I’ve seen of the period. Not sure why I never got around to watching this one before; I was missing out. It’s streaming on Criterion Channel as of this writing.

"White shit about to hit black fan."

Outstanding, foundational blaxploitation. A community sees itself represented onscreen, its characters replacing a white criminal power structure and the film itself usurping a predominantly white-populated genre.

overall had a fun time with this one. some great chemistry amongst the cast, dynamic direction, engrossing energy and rhythms. but it is always unnerving and jarring watching (black) women get slapped around onscreen in such a blithe manner. some intriguing ideas swirling around the deke character — a precursor to the moment we’re in when some black folks drape themselves in the air and aesthetics of activism while actually being craven motherfucks whose only politics involve lining their pockets. didn’t make sense in criterion channel’s neo-noir package. it’s def firmly rooted in kicking off blaxploitation.

It's debated if this or 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song' — was the first blaxploitation film. I'm going with this one, as I enjoyed it more than the latter.

Could've used a sequel television series of Uncle Budd living it up with his topless harem in Ghana, tho'.

[Watched on Tubi.]

Now, we may have broken some heads, but we never broke no promises.

The blueprint to many a blaxploitation and buddy cop flick. It's criminal that this didn't give birth to an entire series of Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson adventures because I just wanna hang out with these dudes some more!

Blaxploitation Films Ranked

"Honkeys on the woodpile... that's something we hadn't figured on" -Cop,
AND
"What would a bail of cotton be doing in harlem?" -Uncle Bud,

- Complex Top 50 Blaxploitation Films: boxd.it/1w5pa

Badass cops Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are tying to find a bail of cotton with dirty cash hidden inside somewhere in Harlem but there are a whole lot of sinister elements looking for the same thing... who'll get there first? This movie features chases, gun play, memorable lines, a lot of funny jokes and a great cast. The story is pretty fun too. It's a dramatic suspense thriller with some great commentary on racial injustice.

the urtext of blaxploitation but also pushes the it to eccentric extremes, the likes of which the genre would tend to avoid for the following decade, with Ossie Davis rendering Chester Himes's hardboiled novel as something more akin to a vibrantly colored comic book starring Coffin Ed and Gravedigger as two no nonsense cops policing a gorgeously captured turn of the 70s NYC (cinematography by Gerald Hirschfeld who also shot the great NY film The Incident a few years prior) -- a shame we didn't get a whole series of these, even if Come Back, Charleston Blue is a serviceable enough sequel; poster should be more iconic than it is by now

Crazy underrated early neo-blaxploitation crime drama-comedy with terrific performances, awesome music and atmosphere to spare. Dunno why this doesn't have more of a reputation for awesomeness.