Richard Roundtree, at the height of his popularity as black super-sleuth Shaft, took the leading role in this rewarding story of racism in an American city's fire department. Newly-recruited during a wave of suspected arson in a black ghetto, Roundtree comes up against a bigoted white veteran, played by Vince Edwards. Excellent performances are matched by a good script from Frank Cucci. The film led to a short-lived 13- part TV series without Roundtree, and with James Drury replacing Edwards.

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