363:, protesters riot in the streets. Johnny Wells, a charismatic black revolutionary, leads a group of black men on a mission to steal guns from a warehouse as preparation for violent racial conflict. Johnny's best friend Tank, who formerly worked at the steel mill with several of the men, is supposed to help with the robbery, but when the group goes to his house, they find him drunk and watching the television coverage of King's funeral. Tank is a middle-aged, unemployed alcoholic who supported King's non-violent approach, which the others have rejected in favor of violent revolution. It is later revealed that Tank lost his longtime job at the steel mill when he attacked a white co-worker who harassed the black mill workers. As a result, Tank was sent to prison and since being released, has been unable to find work. The black revolutionary group is going through a deeper radicalization, and they see Tank's inconsistent behavior as threatening to their cause.
383:
welfare benefits to be terminated. The representative spots Tank and starts berating him and putting him down for not working and supporting his children (though Laurie argues they aren't his). Tank, who is already feeling bad about himself, angrily throws the representative into the street where he is nearly hit by a car. Tank begs Laurie to come away with him, but Laurie, upset about losing her meager welfare benefits and Tank not having any money to give her, dumps him.
387:
Johnny also tells Tank that he plans to leave town, but needs to visit his sick mother first, though it's risky. He asks Tank to go to the revolutionaries' meeting that night and have them send some men to watch outside his mother's house while he visits. Tank begs Johnny to please talk to B.G. about getting him reinstated in the revolutionary group. They leave each other saying they love each other.
836:
311:
415:
Tank leaves the hotel and wanders through the Flats. The men assigned to kill him see him, and pursue him to an area where iron ore is kept in huge piles. Tank climbs to a platform over an ore pile, and waves and shouts at them. One of the men can't bring himself to shoot Tank, so the other one grabs
386:
When Tank is leaving Laurie's, a voice calls him from inside of a burnt house. It is Johnny, who has been hiding near Laurie's house looking for Tank. Johnny tells Tank he doesn't blame him for the failed robbery, saying Tank is "from another era" and not prepared to join in revolutionary activities.
390:
Tank bursts in on the revolutionaries' meeting and relays the message from Johnny. B.G. sends men to Johnny's house but when Tank tries to go as well, B.G. won't let him and reiterates that he is out of the group. Tank argues that Johnny trusted him to deliver the message, and B.G. says that Johnny
370:
The next day, Tank, feeling remorseful, goes to visit B.G., the leader of the revolutionary group, and his girlfriend
Jeannie, who is Johnny's sister. B.G. and Jeannie are angry that Tank failed to help with the robbery, and Jeannie blames him for Johnny ending up a fugitive. Tank begs B.G. to find
366:
Johnny attempts to sober Tank up and tries to coerce him into coming along for the robbery. Tank being drunk and upset refuses to go. Johnny leaves without him since Tank has let them down previously. At first things go smoothly because the white security guard is asleep, but since the robbers are
382:
ghetto neighborhood and supports her two small children through a combination of welfare and prostitution. When Tank arrives at Laurie's house, he has to hide because the representative of the welfare office is visiting Laurie to verify that she does not "have a man around," which would cause her
563:
rated the film 3 out of 4 stars and called it a "good and interesting film" that realistically portrays black militancy without watering down the subject matter for white audiences. However, Ebert criticized the decision to shoot the film as a remake of a story that has too little in common with
403:
white people in front of "fun-house" distortion mirrors. After a long night of drinking and wandering, a drunken Tank goes to Johnny's wake, where he sees Johnny's grieving mother, sister and revolutionary friends. His guilty demeanor, plus leaving a large donation in the collection for Johnny's
374:
On the street, Tank meets
Clarence "Daisy", a homosexual black man who makes good money as a police informant. Daisy brings Tank to his fancy apartment, plies him with drink, and shows him two photographs: one of them shows Tank fighting two police officers during a riot, and the other one is
367:
short one man, Johnny needs to make a second trip into the warehouse to steal enough guns, the guard then wakes up and fires on the robbers. Johnny returns fire and kills the guard. In the melee Johnny leaves behind his sweater with his name tag in it, and thus becomes a wanted man.
412:, an industrial area. He calls Laurie, who visits him. He confesses to her what he did, and they both recognize he is "a dead man". Tank says he doesn't understand why he did it, and that Laurie and Johnny were the only people in the world he ever loved. Laurie says she loves him.
31:
398:
lottery. Tank then wanders aimlessly around town, donating money to a street preacher, visiting the steel factory where he worked for 20 years, and stopping at an amusement arcade where he shoots a cowboy puppet and rambles about black revolution with some wealthy,
407:
The revolutionaries question Tank and hold their version of a trial, and Tank is sentenced to death. Two of his ex-comrades take him out to a burning scrapyard to kill him, but he manages to get away, hop a passing train, and hide in a rundown hotel on the edge of
391:
was the one who told them to get rid of Tank. Tank, stunned and upset by this news, walks out of the meeting, goes to the police station and informs on Johnny. The police rush to Johnny's mother's apartment and shoot Johnny dead as he tries to escape.
533:"closely monitored the making of Uptight right up to the eve of its premiere." The FBI was first alerted to the subject matter of the film by employees at Paramount Pictures in May 1968. During its production, crew members and studio workers acted as
371:
him work as a bodyguard, pointing out that he is broke. But B.G. tells him the committee has decided to expel him from the group due to his drinking and unreliability, noting that they do not have time to run a rehab.
375:
Johnny's wanted poster advertising a $ 1,000 reward for information. Daisy suggests that if Tank helps find Johnny, then Daisy might make the photo of Tank fighting the officers disappear from the police files.
404:
family, arouses the suspicions of B.G. and the others. Tank tries to deflect their suspicion onto Daisy, but when they confront Daisy, Daisy convinces them that Tank was actually the informant.
1291:
1271:
761:
321:
1276:
1256:
294:
932:
1296:
1286:
782:
631:
394:
Meanwhile, Tank goes to a bar and uses the reward money to buy everybody many drinks. The bar patrons assume Tank won his money in the local
416:
the gun and fires. Tank, dying, falls from the platform into the ore pile. A giant excavator dumps several tons of iron ore over his body.
770:
823:
1266:
1003:
346:
1261:
754:
1281:
1251:
963:
530:
716:
1301:
1246:
157:
815:
595:
1164:
747:
1236:
925:
290:
167:
552:
premiered in New York City on
December 18, 1968. The film was released on DVD by Olive Films on October 16, 2012.
1241:
1172:
876:
868:
273:
1038:
791:
1148:
360:
979:
918:
473:
799:
537:
to agents at the FBI's
Cleveland office, who directly reported details of the set to bureau director
503:
79:
623:
Soul searching : Black-themed cinema from the March on
Washington to the rise of blaxploitation
1231:
1108:
1065:
807:
485:
425:
118:
378:
The disillusioned Tank seeks comfort from his girlfriend Laurie, a single mother who lives in the
1180:
1073:
884:
851:
526:
191:
774:
278:
85:
713:
Soul
Searching: Black-Themed Cinema from the March on Washington to the Rise of Blaxploitation,
1140:
1011:
987:
734:
637:
627:
443:
134:
1019:
455:
379:
129:
1116:
1100:
717:
https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Searching-Black-Themed-Washington-Blaxploitation/dp/0819571334
538:
522:
449:
65:
30:
1132:
1124:
1046:
509:
1225:
1188:
479:
467:
437:
147:
739:
941:
683:
497:
491:
395:
264:
44:
835:
656:
995:
560:
1210:
971:
461:
260:
641:
590:
534:
409:
286:
268:
621:
661:
431:
400:
60:
728:
1092:
282:
626:. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 119–160.
914:
910:
743:
304:
331:
by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.
297:
is used as a backdrop for the film's fictional narrative.
359:
In
Cleveland, Ohio, at the time of the assassination of
328:
1203:
1084:
1057:
1030:
955:
948:
861:
843:
781:
238:
230:
220:
197:
187:
173:
163:
153:
143:
111:
91:
74:
50:
40:
23:
1292:Cultural depictions of Martin Luther King Jr.
926:
755:
8:
267:. It was intended as an updated version of
952:
933:
919:
911:
762:
748:
740:
29:
20:
715:Wesleyan University Press (2011). 280pp.
347:Learn how and when to remove this message
277:, based on the book of the same name by
573:
295:assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
1272:Films based on Liam O'Flaherty's works
281:, but the setting was transposed from
585:
583:
581:
579:
577:
7:
615:
613:
289:. The soundtrack was performed by
14:
521:The film was shot on location in
834:
322:too long or excessively detailed
309:
531:Federal Bureau of Investigation
1277:Films about race and ethnicity
1257:Films directed by Jules Dassin
1:
655:Jane, Ian (October 2, 2012).
620:Sieving, Christopher (2011).
1297:1960s English-language films
1287:African-American drama films
596:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
318:This article's plot summary
206:December 18, 1968
1318:
1031:Mark Hellinger Productions
832:
28:
16:1968 film by Jules Dassin
1267:Paramount Pictures films
711:Sieving, Christopher J.
291:Booker T. & the MG's
168:Booker T. & the MG's
1262:Films shot in Cleveland
684:"Up Tight Movie Review"
1282:African-American films
1252:Films set in Cleveland
1149:Hamilchama al hashalom
361:Martin Luther King Jr.
1058:20th Century-Fox Film
1004:The Canterville Ghost
980:The Affairs of Martha
474:Dick Anthony Williams
259:) is a 1968 American
1302:1960s American films
1247:American drama films
792:Thy Neighbour's Wife
564:black civil rights.
182:Marlukin Productions
964:The Tell-Tale Heart
956:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
808:Return of the Brute
446:as Clarence "Daisy"
426:Raymond St. Jacques
119:Raymond St. Jacques
1181:A Dream of Passion
1074:Night and the City
529:reported that the
452:as "Tank" Williams
192:Paramount Pictures
1237:Films set in 1968
1219:
1218:
1199:
1198:
1141:10:30 P.M. Summer
1012:A Letter for Evie
988:Reunion in France
908:
907:
633:978-0-8195-7134-2
500:as Street Speaker
444:Roscoe Lee Browne
357:
356:
349:
246:
245:
135:Roscoe Lee Browne
1309:
1242:1968 drama films
1066:Thieves' Highway
1020:Two Smart People
953:
935:
928:
921:
912:
897:(1968, based on
862:Film adaptations
838:
764:
757:
750:
741:
699:
698:
696:
694:
680:
674:
673:
671:
669:
652:
646:
645:
617:
608:
607:
605:
603:
591:"Uptight (1968)"
587:
456:Janet MacLachlan
352:
345:
341:
338:
332:
313:
312:
305:
213:
211:
130:Janet MacLachlan
33:
21:
1317:
1316:
1312:
1311:
1310:
1308:
1307:
1306:
1222:
1221:
1220:
1215:
1195:
1165:Promise at Dawn
1117:Never on Sunday
1101:He Who Must Die
1080:
1053:
1026:
944:
939:
909:
904:
857:
839:
830:
777:
775:Liam O'Flaherty
768:
725:
708:
706:Further reading
703:
702:
692:
690:
682:
681:
677:
667:
665:
654:
653:
649:
634:
619:
618:
611:
601:
599:
589:
588:
575:
570:
558:
547:
539:J. Edgar Hoover
523:Cleveland, Ohio
519:
464:as Johnny Wells
450:Julian Mayfield
422:
353:
342:
336:
333:
329:help improve it
326:
314:
310:
303:
279:Liam O'Flaherty
253:(also known as
223:
216:
209:
207:
200:
183:
178:
176:
158:Robert Lawrence
139:
126:Julian Mayfield
107:
86:Liam O'Flaherty
83:
70:
66:Julian Mayfield
36:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1315:
1313:
1305:
1304:
1299:
1294:
1289:
1284:
1279:
1274:
1269:
1264:
1259:
1254:
1249:
1244:
1239:
1234:
1224:
1223:
1217:
1216:
1214:
1213:
1207:
1205:
1201:
1200:
1197:
1196:
1194:
1193:
1185:
1177:
1169:
1161:
1153:
1145:
1137:
1129:
1121:
1113:
1105:
1097:
1088:
1086:
1082:
1081:
1079:
1078:
1070:
1061:
1059:
1055:
1054:
1052:
1051:
1047:The Naked City
1043:
1034:
1032:
1028:
1027:
1025:
1024:
1016:
1008:
1000:
992:
984:
976:
968:
959:
957:
950:
946:
945:
940:
938:
937:
930:
923:
915:
906:
905:
903:
902:
890:
882:
874:
865:
863:
859:
858:
856:
855:
847:
845:
841:
840:
833:
831:
829:
828:
820:
812:
804:
796:
787:
785:
779:
778:
769:
767:
766:
759:
752:
744:
738:
737:
724:
723:External links
721:
720:
719:
707:
704:
701:
700:
675:
647:
632:
609:
572:
571:
569:
566:
557:
554:
546:
543:
518:
515:
514:
513:
510:James McEachin
507:
501:
495:
489:
483:
477:
471:
465:
459:
453:
447:
441:
435:
429:
421:
418:
355:
354:
317:
315:
308:
302:
299:
244:
243:
240:
236:
235:
232:
228:
227:
224:
221:
218:
217:
215:
214:
203:
201:
198:
195:
194:
189:
188:Distributed by
185:
184:
181:
179:
174:
171:
170:
165:
161:
160:
155:
151:
150:
145:
144:Cinematography
141:
140:
138:
137:
132:
127:
124:
121:
115:
113:
109:
108:
106:
105:
102:
99:
95:
93:
89:
88:
76:
72:
71:
69:
68:
63:
58:
54:
52:
48:
47:
42:
38:
37:
34:
26:
25:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1314:
1303:
1300:
1298:
1295:
1293:
1290:
1288:
1285:
1283:
1280:
1278:
1275:
1273:
1270:
1268:
1265:
1263:
1260:
1258:
1255:
1253:
1250:
1248:
1245:
1243:
1240:
1238:
1235:
1233:
1230:
1229:
1227:
1212:
1209:
1208:
1206:
1202:
1191:
1190:
1189:Circle of Two
1186:
1183:
1182:
1178:
1175:
1174:
1173:The Rehearsal
1170:
1167:
1166:
1162:
1159:
1158:
1154:
1151:
1150:
1146:
1143:
1142:
1138:
1135:
1134:
1130:
1127:
1126:
1122:
1119:
1118:
1114:
1111:
1110:
1106:
1103:
1102:
1098:
1095:
1094:
1090:
1089:
1087:
1083:
1076:
1075:
1071:
1068:
1067:
1063:
1062:
1060:
1056:
1049:
1048:
1044:
1041:
1040:
1036:
1035:
1033:
1029:
1022:
1021:
1017:
1014:
1013:
1009:
1006:
1005:
1001:
998:
997:
993:
990:
989:
985:
982:
981:
977:
974:
973:
969:
966:
965:
961:
960:
958:
954:
951:
947:
943:
936:
931:
929:
924:
922:
917:
916:
913:
900:
896:
895:
891:
888:
887:
883:
880:
879:
875:
872:
871:
867:
866:
864:
860:
853:
849:
848:
846:
842:
837:
826:
825:
821:
818:
817:
813:
810:
809:
805:
802:
801:
797:
794:
793:
789:
788:
786:
784:
780:
776:
772:
765:
760:
758:
753:
751:
746:
745:
742:
736:
732:
731:
727:
726:
722:
718:
714:
710:
709:
705:
689:
685:
679:
676:
664:
663:
658:
651:
648:
643:
639:
635:
629:
625:
624:
616:
614:
610:
598:
597:
592:
586:
584:
582:
580:
578:
574:
567:
565:
562:
555:
553:
551:
544:
542:
540:
536:
532:
528:
524:
516:
511:
508:
506:as Mr. Oakley
505:
502:
499:
496:
493:
490:
487:
484:
481:
480:Ji-Tu Cumbuka
478:
475:
472:
470:as Mama Wells
469:
468:Juanita Moore
466:
463:
460:
457:
454:
451:
448:
445:
442:
439:
438:Frank Silvera
436:
433:
430:
427:
424:
423:
419:
417:
413:
411:
405:
402:
397:
392:
388:
384:
381:
376:
372:
368:
364:
362:
351:
348:
340:
337:February 2022
330:
325:
323:
316:
307:
306:
300:
298:
296:
292:
288:
284:
280:
276:
275:
271:'s 1935 film
270:
266:
262:
258:
257:
252:
251:
241:
237:
234:United States
233:
229:
225:
219:
205:
204:
202:
196:
193:
190:
186:
180:
172:
169:
166:
162:
159:
156:
152:
149:
148:Boris Kaufman
146:
142:
136:
133:
131:
128:
125:
122:
120:
117:
116:
114:
110:
103:
100:
97:
96:
94:
90:
87:
82:
81:
77:
73:
67:
64:
62:
59:
56:
55:
53:
49:
46:
43:
39:
32:
27:
22:
19:
1187:
1179:
1171:
1163:
1156:
1155:
1147:
1139:
1131:
1123:
1115:
1107:
1099:
1091:
1072:
1064:
1045:
1037:
1018:
1010:
1002:
994:
986:
978:
970:
962:
942:Jules Dassin
899:The Informer
898:
893:
892:
885:
878:The Informer
877:
870:The Informer
869:
824:Insurrection
822:
814:
806:
800:The Informer
798:
790:
729:
712:
693:December 25,
691:. Retrieved
687:
678:
668:December 16,
666:. Retrieved
660:
650:
622:
602:December 16,
600:. Retrieved
594:
559:
549:
548:
520:
498:Robert DoQui
492:Ketty Lester
414:
406:
396:numbers game
393:
389:
385:
377:
373:
369:
365:
358:
343:
334:
319:
274:The Informer
272:
265:Jules Dassin
263:directed by
255:
254:
249:
248:
247:
222:Running time
199:Release date
104:Jim Di Gangi
98:Jules Dassin
80:The Informer
78:
57:Jules Dassin
45:Jules Dassin
18:
1085:Independent
1039:Brute Force
996:Young Ideas
886:The Puritan
688:Roger Ebert
561:Roger Ebert
525:. In 1969,
486:John Wesley
226:104 minutes
92:Produced by
41:Directed by
35:Film poster
1232:1968 films
1226:Categories
1211:Joe Dassin
972:Nazi Agent
852:The Sniper
568:References
535:informants
517:Production
462:Max Julien
458:as Jeannie
261:drama film
210:1968-12-18
175:Production
51:Written by
657:"Uptight"
642:726747945
556:Reception
504:Leon Bibb
476:as Corbin
434:as Laurie
410:the Flats
287:Cleveland
269:John Ford
256:Up Tight!
154:Edited by
854:" (1923)
662:DVD Talk
512:as Mello
488:as Larry
432:Ruby Dee
428:as B. G.
401:slumming
239:Language
164:Music by
123:Ruby Dee
112:Starring
101:Ruby Dee
75:Based on
61:Ruby Dee
1204:Related
1157:Uptight
1133:Topkapi
1125:Phaedra
1109:The Law
894:Uptight
844:Stories
730:Uptight
550:Uptight
545:Release
527:Variety
494:as Alma
482:as Rick
440:as Kyle
327:Please
320:may be
250:Uptight
242:English
231:Country
208: (
177:company
24:Uptight
1192:(1980)
1184:(1978)
1176:(1974)
1168:(1970)
1160:(1968)
1152:(1968)
1144:(1966)
1136:(1964)
1128:(1962)
1120:(1960)
1112:(1959)
1104:(1957)
1096:(1955)
1093:Rififi
1077:(1950)
1069:(1949)
1050:(1948)
1042:(1947)
1023:(1946)
1015:(1945)
1007:(1944)
999:(1943)
991:(1942)
983:(1942)
975:(1942)
967:(1941)
889:(1938)
881:(1935)
873:(1929)
827:(1950)
819:(1937)
816:Famine
811:(1929)
803:(1925)
795:(1923)
783:Novels
640:
630:
293:. The
283:Dublin
949:Films
771:Works
380:Hough
735:IMDb
695:2018
670:2020
638:OCLC
628:ISBN
604:2020
420:Cast
301:Plot
773:by
733:at
285:to
84:by
1228::
686:.
659:.
636:.
612:^
593:.
576:^
541:.
934:e
927:t
920:v
901:)
850:"
763:e
756:t
749:v
697:.
672:.
644:.
606:.
350:)
344:(
339:)
335:(
324:.
212:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.