spoiler a bloody shootout in a mafia safe house apartment result in the rip off of $ 300 and 000 . 00 from the mob harlam bank . it also cost the life of seven people include two member of the mafia gennaro family . old don gennaro and frank macetta and be worry about his operation in harlem fall apart and have his young hot shot and sadistic son in law nick dsalvio and tony franciosa and to get thing back to normal . nick start by try to get back the steal loot with the help of the mafia control doc johnson and richard ward and who run their harlem racket . the three and who knock off the mob monthly take and jim harris joe logart and henry jackson and paul benjamin ed bernard and antonio fargas and be mark for death not only by the mafia and the jackson harlem syndicate but by the nypd . not just for rip off the mob but for the murder of two policeman who try to stop the trio getaway . put in charge of the murder or robbery investigation be young and collage educate let . poke and yaphet kotto and which irritate the local police precinct capt . mattelli and anthony quinn and who feel he should be the one in charge . this cause friction not only between the two cop but the men of the 27th precinct who feel that capt . mattelli should run the investigation . during the movie capt . mattelli grudgingly accept the decision of let . poke be put in charge over him since he be compromise by take graft from johnson for year and that will only hamper find the three hood who rip the johnson or mafia off . capt . mattelli also learn only to late that once your in the pay of the mob the only way you can get out and or retire and of that squalid arraignment be in a pine box . extremely brutal crime or drama with two of the person and henry j. jackson and joe logart and who dare to take the mob ill get gain end up viciously torture and murder by the maniacal nick dsalvio and who take a sick and morbid glee in do the two in . the third man and and head and of the group of robber jim harris be a lot harder and far more dangerous nut to crack and find by nick and his hood . track down in an abandoned building in west harlem . jim alone with his common law wife gloria and norma donaldson and begin to freak out when he get epileptic seizure with no medication on hand to relive them . this time thing do not go off that well for nick and both the mafia and johnson mob and like it do with both joe and henry . by the time the shootout be over the entire block and where jim be hold out in and be leave shot up and demolish together with jim nick and gloria . superior crime or movie with a stand out performance by a young and 34 at the time and yaphet kotto a let . poke who show the overly brutal capt . mattelli that you do not get the same result in solve crime with 1940 police tactic in the year 1972. even more important it a lot well to be an honest cop then a dirty one in both have a clear conscience and long lifespan .