n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This film is a guilty pleasure, you know one of those movies that will never be on anyone's "best movie" list but one you can watch over and over again and secretly enjoy as much as those great films. A Piece of the Action is a stark contrast to the popular Blaxploitation films of the 1970s and stars the handsome and talented Sydney Poitier as Manny Durrell and the very funny and charming Bill Cosby as Dave Anderson. The film is about two high-end thieves (Poitier and Cosby) who are being blackmailed by a mysterious caller with a distinctive baritone voice. The caller agrees not to turn over what he knows to the police if they agree to donate their time to the Community Improvement Center which works with "incorrigible" youth from the inner city. The remainder of the movie involves the two thieves partnering up to work at the center's job preparedness program while also looking for the blackmailer and avoiding the crooks they stole from. Juggling all these things create some amusing encounters.My favorite parts involve Poitier's interaction with the teens. He's cool and suave and doesn't take anything off the rebellious teens. Over the next few weeks, the teens develop pride in who they are, learn the value of a dollar and hard work, and develop the necessary skills for getting and holding down a job. There is some fantastic dialogue like Barbara's (Sheryl Lee Ralph) Poverty Pimp speech directed at teacher Ms. Thomas. There are also some touching moments, i.e. Willie talking about his brother Timmy. I also like the romantic relationship that forms between Cosby's Anderson (Who knew he had a sexy side) and Lila French (Denise Nicholas), the Center's Director.The colloquialisms, clothes, dances and music are admittedly dated (although the music soundtrack is awesome). However, some of the over-arching themes are still relevant like having pride in your race, dealing with stereotypes of black youth, etc. I really hope we see a remake of this movie as well as the other two films that partnered Poitier and Cosby – Uptown Saturday Night and Lets Do It Again. This is the strongest of the three films and deserves its place in Black Film history.

When I read notlobg68's review of this film, I couldn't help but provide a contrasting perspective. I first saw this film when I was a child of about four in the 70s. I remember feeding off of the energy that was in the audience as people of color watched themselves on-screen in a way that was more uplifting than other films with a principal cast consisting largely of people of color. I decided to watch the Poitier/Cosby duo films in succession again to see if they stood up to the test of time. First, to judge this film against the other two is unfair. While "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Let's Do It Again" are comedic 'let's chase the stolen money' films (and successful in their own right in providing an entertaining experience), "A Piece of the Action" goes for something a bit deeper.The real theme of this movie centers around 'bridging the generational gap' (and if this part doesn't work for you, then you don't enjoy the film.) There's an incredible exchange between Barbara (a young Sheryl Lee Ralph) and her teacher Ms. Thomas (Hope Clarke). After being singled out in class, Barbara let's her repressed feelings of anger fly. In a scene that hints at a conflict that is just as relevant today, Barbara somewhat accurately (albeit disrespectfully) expresses the frustration that she and other lower income people of color felt towards their more financially stable contemporaries. The romance between Bill Cosby and an incredibly beautiful Denise Nicholas is wonderful. Seeing people of color court each other in a way that was as tasteful as these scenes are was a rarity on-screen in the 1970s. On the weak side is the somewhat unbelievable 'mob presence' plot in the film. While these themes are done better in the other Cosby/Poitier films, their presence helped pace the film and injected a bit of action and suspense.This film was released more than thirty years ago and it held my attention in a way that the first two films didn't. Yes, the first two may have contained more action, but the real plot of this film centers around the effort to prepare these disenfranchised children for a gainful working experience. I am not ashamed to say that I was close to tears during the end scene between Ralph and Clarke. Watching that scene and seeing the transformation that an angry and seemingly hopeless child goes through after receiving just a bit of encouragement makes you believe for a moment that almost any child can be reached if you put in the effort.If you want chase scenes, crazy suits, and more laughs, the first two films will entertain you thoroughly. However, if you want to trade in that action for a more engaging and challenging plot, this is your film. Sidney Poitier holds up a mirror to society in 1977 regarding young people of color and some of the issues that they faced. All three films are entertaining, but I have to say that this film shows Poitier's growth and ends their buddy films in an incredibly satisfying way.

Worth a look on late night TV otherwise skip this misfire.Piece of the Action starts off like a crime caper and ends up wanting to be a morality play. Problem is there is no character development. We are supposed to accept Cosby and Poitier as personalities not actors playing fully developed characters.This is an uneven script. You can almost see two movies cut into this thing. There's the crime caper.And there's the Welcome Back Kotter type class of losers who need to get jobs. This is the morality play part. And it's all jive.We're supposed to accept Cosby and Poitier as wonderful guys who lead blessed lives even though they are no better than the mob guys they swindle. What a mess.

It was a pretty old school film. Most young adults wouldn't want to watch an old 70's film but this one's got some flavor for ya.The actors did a very good job. The cast was very well put together and the writing was great. I believe that putting Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier on the same screen was one of the best ideas Holly wood ever had. While the movie was serious a lot of the times it was funny as well. It gave me a chance to see some of my favorite actors and actresses from some of my favorite shows in their earlier years and stages of the screen.This movie was loaded with fun, laughs, action and drama. Action and drama, that's my kind of movie !