A Piece of the Action

A Piece of the Action

A delightfully delicious dilemma!

PG 1977 · 135 min · ★ 5.8 · Comedy, Crime

How does retired cop Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) get two career criminals, Manny Durrell (Sidney Poitier) and Dave Anderson (Bill Cosby), to follow the straight and narrow? Con them into helping juvenile delinquents turn over a new leaf. But how? Burke has never been able to nail the duo, but he uses what he knows of their seedy past to blackmail them into volunteering.

Directed by Sidney Poitier · Written by Charles Blackwell

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

PhiloHowdy Amazon Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At Home

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 4m together

A Piece of the Action

In the Heat of the Night

Both from Sidney Poitier.

More from Sidney PoitierSee all →

A Raisin in the SunA Raisin in the Sun · 1961
A Raisin in the Sun
7.71961
MovieDramaRomance
Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he seems like an imprisoned man. Until, that is, the family gets an unexpected financial windfall.
In the Heat of the NightIn the Heat of the Night · 1967
In the Heat of the Night
7.71967
MovieCrimeDrama
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
Guess Who's Coming to DinnerGuess Who's Coming to Dinner · 1967
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
7.61967
MovieDramaRomance
A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.
A Patch of BlueA Patch of Blue · 1965
A Patch of Blue
7.61965
MovieDramaRomance
A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life.
To Sir, with LoveTo Sir, with Love · 1967
To Sir, with Love
7.41967
MovieDrama
A British Guianese engineer starts a job as a high school teacher in London’s East End, where his uninterested and delinquent pupils are in desperate need of attention and care.
Lilies of the FieldLilies of the Field · 1963
Lilies of the Field
7.21963
MovieComedyDrama
An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.
OmnibusOmnibus · 1967
Omnibus
7.21967
SeriesDocumentary
Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The programme was the successor to the long-running arts-based series 'Monitor'. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings. During its 35-year history, the programme won 12 Bafta awards. Among the series' best remembered documentaries are Cracked Actor, a profile of David Bowie, and Rene Magritte, a graduate film by David Wheatley, 'Madonna: Behind the American dream', a film produced by Nadia Hagger, and a profile of the British film director Ridley Scott. For a season in 1982, the series was in a magazine format presented by Barry Norman. The series was replaced by 'Imagine' hosted by Alan Yentob.
Edge of the CityEdge of the City · 1957
Edge of the City
7.21957
MovieDramaCrime
A male army deserter and a black male dock worker join forces against a corrupt manager, in a corrupt environment, and as their connection blossoms they must face the oppressive and morally decaying city they live in.
Children of the DustChildren of the Dust · 1995
Children of the Dust
7.11995
SeriesWesternDrama
Gypsy Smith, is a gunfighter and a bounty hunter. When he leads the US army into a Cheyenne camp to capture a suspected Indian renegade, a long train of events begins that finally lead to that 'good day to die'. White Wolf, only a child, is one of the few survivors of the massacre of his tribe that day, and Gypsy brings him to live with the Maxwell family, where he grows up not fully Indian and not really white but a bit too close to Rachel, the Maxwell daughter. Gypsy now reappears, leading a group of Black settlers from the post-Civil War South to start a new life in a town of their own - Freedom in the Oklahoma Territory, its first black settlement. White Wolf (or Corby as a 'white' name') is now with his people, but all of these parts come back together in conflict, violence, loss, and Pyrric triumph.
The Defiant OnesThe Defiant Ones · 1958
The Defiant Ones
7.11958
MovieCrimeDrama
Two convicts—one white, one black—escape while chained to each other.
The Bedford IncidentThe Bedford Incident · 1965
The Bedford Incident
7.01965
MovieActionDrama
During a routine patrol, a reporter is given permission to interview a hardened cold-war warrior and captain of the American destroyer USS Bedford. The reporter gets more than he bargained for when the Bedford discovers a Soviet sub and the captain begins a relentless pursuit, pushing his crew to breaking point.
OmnibusOmnibus · 1952
Omnibus
7.01952
SeriesTalk
Omnibus is an American, commercially sponsored, educational television series.
No Way OutNo Way Out · 1950
No Way Out
6.91950
MovieDramaCrime
Two hoodlum brothers are brought into hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one dies, the other accuses their Black doctor of murder.
SneakersSneakers · 1992
Sneakers
6.91992
MovieComedyCrime
When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric team of security experts into stealing a code-breaking 'black box' from a Soviet-funded genius, they uncover a bigger conspiracy. Now, he and his 'sneakers' must save themselves and the world economy by retrieving the box from their blackmailers.
Blackboard JungleBlackboard Jungle · 1955
Blackboard Jungle
6.91955
MovieCrimeDrama
Richard Dadier is a teacher at North Manual High School, an inner-city school where many of the pupils frequently engage in anti-social behavior. Dadier makes various attempts to engage the students' interest in education, challenging both the school staff and the pupils. He is subjected to violence as well as duplicitous schemes.
The Philco Television PlayhouseThe Philco Television Playhouse · 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
6.61948
SeriesDrama
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956.

More Like This

GiganticGigantic · 1999
Gigantic
7.61999
MovieDramaComedy
The Hamburg friends Walter, Ricco and Floyd take each day as it comes between the estates of tower blocks and fast food restaurants. All three are in their early twenties and are dreaming of another life when Floyd suddenly takes a job on a freighter going to Singapore.
Freedom WritersFreedom Writers · 2007
Freedom Writers
7.92007
MovieCrimeDrama
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
No Good DeedNo Good Deed · 2002
No Good Deed
5.42002
MovieActionCrime
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
Along Came a SpiderAlong Came a Spider · 2001
Along Came a Spider
6.32001
MovieCrimeMystery
After the harrowing death of his partner, forensic psychologist and best-selling author Alex Cross cannot forgive himself and has retreated to the peace of retirement. But when a brilliant criminal kidnaps a senator's young daughter, he is lured back into action as the kidnapper wants to deal with Alex personally. Teamed with Jezzie Flanigan, the Secret Service agent assigned to protect the missing girl, Alex follows a serpentine trail of clues that leads him to a stunning discovery - the kidnapper wants more than just ransom.
ZodiacZodiac · 2007
Zodiac
7.52007
MovieCrimeMystery
Over the course of a decade, editors of the San Francisco Chronicle entice themselves in the murders of the Zodiac Killer. However, as time runs its course, interest in the case dwindles in the eyes of the professionals. The Killer stops interacting with the public. However, believing he has the answers, an amateur cartoonist from the initial sightings races against time to prevent what he believes is another murder.
Lady in the LakeLady in the Lake · 1946
Lady in the Lake
6.11946
MovieMysteryThriller
Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.
MarloweMarlowe · 1969
Marlowe
6.11969
MovieCrimeMystery
Mysterious Orfamay Quest hires Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe to find her missing brother. Though the job seems simple enough, it leads Marlowe into the underbelly of the city, turning up leads who are murdered with ice picks, exotic dancers, blackmailed television stars, and self-preserving gangsters. Soon, Marlowe's life is on the line right along with his case.
The Long GoodbyeThe Long Goodbye · 1973
The Long Goodbye
7.41973
MovieMysteryDrama
In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
AngelAngel · 1984
Angel
6.01984
MovieActionCrime
Molly Stewart, a teen at the top of her class who survives by working nights as a prostitute on Hollywood Blvd, finds her world beginning to fall apart when a depraved, necrophiliac serial killer begins targeting LA’s streetwalkers.
Murder, My SweetMurder, My Sweet · 1944
Murder, My Sweet
7.21944
MovieCrimeDrama
After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
KluteKlute · 1971
Klute
6.81971
MovieThrillerCrime
A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.
Dial M for MurderDial M for Murder · 1954
Dial M for Murder
8.01954
MovieThrillerCrime
When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder her and inherit her fortune.
ShaftShaft · 1971
Shaft
6.41971
MovieCrimeThriller
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
City of GodCity of God · 2002
City of God
8.42002
MovieDramaCrime
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeThe Taking of Pelham One Two Three · 1974
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
7.51974
MovieCrimeThriller
In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.
The Boondock SaintsThe Boondock Saints · 1999
The Boondock Saints
7.21999
MovieActionThriller
Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner and Murphy are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker, an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter