The Plot Against Harry (1969)
Cats: Comedy, New York|
Sometimes a small movie packs a great deal of something, some sort of magic that takes us to an entirely different world. In the case of the seriously under rated and over looked comedy Plot Against Harry, such a statement is true. Not only does the film take us to a world that I believe is practically gone but also evokes an era of New York that has passed. A transitional time between the old New York and to something like what we have now. The film stars no one you ever heard of and in most cases this is the only credit these actors have. The film sat unreleased for 20 years after it was made and was finally given a limited theatrical release in 1989.
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A small time Jewish racketeer / bookie finds that after a year in jail his whole world has changed. The area he once controlled has been taken over by African Americans and Latinos. As the neighborhoods changed so did the racketeers. Harry, a small man who has a “why me?” face with sad hound dog eyes has to deal upon his release from prison new hoods, a mafia family that no longer backs him as they used to, his intrusive sister who moves into the hotel in which he lives, a parole officer, a subpoena to appear before a senate organized crime sub-committee and while driving (something that he should not be doing according to his parole) he crashes into his ex-wife (whom he still has affection for) and their pregnant daughter (who has not seen in many years) who goes into labor. Oy, what a day.
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As the plot that the world has launched against him builds up, Harry tries to go straight. He joins a men’s club, he donates to charity, he buys into a partnership with his ex-brother in law and they take over a catering business. He even gets to hold his new grandson during his briss. He also believes (through a series of mistakes initiated by Harry himself) he has a fatal heart condition.
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Although it is difficult for even me to accurately say exactly were the film was shot, it is definitely New York. Like I said, the film captures a transitional time in New York. As Harry drives through various unnamed neighborhoods we see much urban decay, row after row of boarded up tenements. You can be sure that those structures are long gone. Along with that, as the small time Jewish gangster is pushed out and replaced by another type of gangster we are reminded that times they are a changing.
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