Split (DVD)

The L.A. Coliseum is the target of a crew of daring thieves led by the implacable McClain in this neo-noir adaptation of Richard Stark's The Seventh. Jim Brown (as McClain) heads the all-star cast that includes Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, Julie Harris, Diahann Carroll, Jack Klugman, James Whitmore and Warren Oates (whew!) as the criminals and cops that inhabit the world of The Split. While McClain's meticulously planned heist goes as planned, the crew start to fall out after a psycho landlord and a crooked cop decide to stake a claim to the loot. Strikingly shot by Burnett Guffey (Bonnie and Clyde), The Split ups the ante with its iconic locations, splendid Sixties fashions and full-on funky score by Quincy Jones with contributions from Sheb Wooley, Arthur Prysock and Billy Preston. As a footnote for the faint of heart, it is worth noting that The Split was the first movie to earn an "R" rating!