A Piece of the Action

Manny Durrell (Sidney Poitier) and Dave Anderson (Bill Cosby) are two old hand thieves with many feats of burglaries on their sleeves. They are so confident that they haven’t been caught by the police until a retiring cop Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) show them enough evidence to send them to the pen for a long time if they don’t obey him. The cop’s bargain for his silence is simple, the crooks should change their lives and work at a youth center for delinquents and irritated kids from poor neighborhoods. They prefer an appointment with the dentist than accepting this assignment. Yup! They don’t have any choice and reluctantly take the job. The indisposed teachers and negligent students…both parties are contemptuous to each other but as time goes by the cocoon turns to a butterfly.
A Piece of the Action is one of the movies that makes you feel energized and optimistic about the world and makes you forget its share of failings and injustices. The movie delves in to the virtues in human character and compassion. Like Porfiry Petrovich, the policeman of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Detective Joshua Burk emphasis the goodness in all human beings rather than punishing it ruthlessly. The crooked duo also realizes the underlying goodness in the bratty children and vice versa. A nice film to recommend.

A Piece of the Action
Director: Sidney Poitier
Cast: Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, James Earl Jones
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year: 1977
Language: English
Country: USA
Colour: Metrocolor
Running Time: 135 min
Cyril's Rating: Good