Across 110th Street

Ex-convict Jim Harris (Paul Benjamin) and his two accomplices attempt to rob a Harlem count house for the Mafia run by local black gangsters. The heist goes awry and Harris murders both the black gangsters and the white mobsters before fleeing and murdering two policemen as they escape. Word of the robbery reaches Don Gennarro (Frank Macetta), whose family holds territory in Harlem. Afraid that they will lose ground to the black gangsters, he sends his son-in-law and enforcer Nick (Anthony Franciosa) to deal with the problem. Back in Harlem, Captain Frank Mattelli (Anthony Quinn) arrives at the scene and learns no one is willing to talk out of Omerta, distrust of police, bribery, or a combination of the three. Mattelli is a veteran of the Harlem area and prides himself on knowing it, but is prejudiced against blacks and violent with suspects. He meets the black Lt. Pope (Yaphet Kotto), a relatively inexperienced investigator, who informs him that the case is his. Mattelli protests before a superior pulls him and aside and informs him that Pope is leading the case for political reasons. Nick pays a visit to "Doc" Johnson (Richard Ward), the head of the black mob in Harlem, to confront him over the lack of security during the robbery and declare his intentions to capture and torture the robbers. The two trade insults and Johnson tells Nick that it is unwise for Italians to come up to Harlem to murder black men. Johnson's henchman, Shevvy (Gilbert Lewis), makes rounds in the black community to solicit information from Jim's girlfriend Gloria (Norma Donaldson) and bribe bystanders into silence. It is revealed later in the film that Jim formerly worked for Doc Johnson. Gloria confronts Jim about the money and demands he give it back, but Jim snaps at her that he is an ex-con with no education and that he would only be able to perform menial, servile jobs. The police find the getaway car ditched in the river, and Shevvy bribes another policeman to receive the information. The police arrest the former owner of the car, who reveals that he sold it the previous week. Mattelli berates the man, calling him a junkie and beating him before Pope intervenes and the two argue about Mattelli's methods and racist behavior. Shevvy, Nick, and his men visit the man's wife and pressure her into revealing to whom they sold the car They later find the driver, Henry J. at a club, where he has been openly spending the money. Nick breaks a glass in Henry J's face, beats him, and abducts him. Henry J later dies in the ambulance en route to the hospital, and it is later revealed that he was also crucified and castrated during his torture. Mattelli visits Doc Johnson and implores him to stop the violence, but Johnson feigns ignorance and blames the Italians. Affronted that Mattelli is ordering him around, Doc orders Shevvy to throw him out of his office, but Pope intervenes, learning that Mattelli is on the take from Doc Johnson. Doc attempts to bribe Pope, but Pope refuses his money. The men visit Henry J's estranged wife, where they learn that the two never legally married. Mattelli is prepared to tell her about the true nature of her husband's death, but Pope lies and says that he died in a hit-and-run. After getting Jim's name from Mrs. Jackson, Mattelli hands her a wad of cash on the way out. Shevvy and his thugs torture the owner of the laundry where Jim's accomplice Joe works for information regarding his location. Joe takes his cut of the heist from Jim and prepares to leave town, but gets in a cab driven by one of Shevvy's men. When the cabbie drives him into an ambush, Joe manages to drive away while shooting one of the thugs. Jim relocates to an abandoned tenement where he used to live in order to hide from his pursuers. Joe flees into a construction site, where Nick launches into a racist tirade against him, torturing him into revealing Jim's name before dropping him off the side of the building. Shevvy and his henchmen look visibly disturbed during the torture. Jim has an epilepsy flareup and requires his medicine, which makes Gloria inadvertently lead his pursuers to his hideout. Doc phones and informs Pope where Harris is hiding. While Jim and Gloria daydream about their future plans, Nick and his henchmen arrive at the tenement and exchange gunfire. In the initial shootout, Gloria and one of Nick's henchmen are killed. Jim then murders Nick before chasing a fleeing henchman into the street and gunning down both him and the getaway driver. The police chase Jim onto the roof where he guns down multiple pursuing policemen. After being mortally wounded by multiple police snipers, Jim throws his bag of money to a group of school children below. Mattelli attempts to apprehend Jim, but stumbles and drops his gun. He is almost killed by Jim but is saved by Pope, who delivers the killing blow. While Pope holsters his weapon, Shevvy shoots Mattelli in the head with a silenced pistol from an adjacent rooftop, and he collapses to the ground while holding Pope's hand.