Buddy, Barilli, Mingo and Ansel, detectives with the NYPD, comprise a secret investigative unit called the Seven-Ups, who, largely undercover, focus on cases leading to felony convictions with prison sentences of seven years or more for the criminals in question. Many within the NYPD who know about the unit don't support the idea of it because of the often unethical way they work on the cases, but their superior, Inspector Gilson, defends the unit solely because of the results. On the sly, Buddy, who is the head of the team, gets much of the information for the cases from Vito Lucia, a childhood friend who still lives and works in the old neighborhood where much of the crime is based. Vito knows that his life could be in danger if the mob finds out that he acts as a snitch for the police. After Buddy starts looking into the loan sharking business of some local mob members, unknown to him some of those mob members are shaken down for a minimum $100,000 apiece, one by one kidnapped for ransom before they are released when the extortionists are able to abscond with the ransom money. The M.O. of the extortionists is for two to act as police detectives bringing the mob member in for questioning, before showing their true colors of kidnapping the person for ransom. The mob has no reason to doubt that the men truly are NYPD gone bad. Buddy even sees one of them taken in, a bail bondsman named Festa with mob ties, he knowing that what he witnessed was not what it appeared on the surface, however unaware that this situation was not a one off in the scuttlebutt he had previous heard about general unrest on the streets. By the time that Buddy learns of the serial kidnappings and the unofficial war the mob has with the NYPD because of it, Buddy and the team are determined to nab the mastermind behind the extortions as it has become more than a professional issue for them. New York City cops wage a war against assorted hoods and criminals after one of their own is brutally killed by a hoodlum. Seven-Ups refers to the minimum jail time each of the crooks will have to spend if they are caught. "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. Super cops are around to get the job done. They don't get bought out, they can the criminals regular cops don't. "They are known as "The Seven Ups". An elite group of police officers that take on high powered criminals like The Mob. These cops are rogues, very unorthodox, yet, very effective on the criminals who think that they are above the law. They work in the same department with the other cops. They dread this group of cops. They can go undercover. However, when one of them do, he gets discovered, and is killed by the criminals. After the debacle, it's war! They chase out of the city, And when they go to an exit, the car the leader is involved in gets wrecked by a semi truck. They go further when they confront one of the business men and his wife. That's a little extreme there. But when you put your family in jeopardy like that, expect the consequences. The shootout scenes are great. I enjoyed every minute of it. Roy Schieder does a great job playing the leader of the plainclothes outfit. "The Seven-Ups" are New York's finest, you don't want to cross. Especially, if you are a criminal who thinks he's above the law. The streets of New York are never safer. Seven is unlucky for the bad guys! 5 stars. NO! 7 Stars for this movie!
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344 weeks ago