SYNOPSICS
The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) is a English,Spanish movie. Don Murray has directed this movie. Pat Boone,Erik Estrada,Jacqueline Giroux,Jo-Ann Robinson are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1970. The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) is considered one of the best Biography,Crime,Drama movie in India and around the world.
David Wilkerson is a relatively young parish priest in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. With nominal funds, insufficient even to get a hotel room which forces him to sleep in his car, his church sends him to New York City to bring the word of God to the young men and youth of the Egyptian Kings, who are on trial for their violent gang activities. David hopes God will be their salvation. Although David is not allowed to get near the Egyptian Kings, his trip to the courthouse does garner much publicity. Because of that publicity, David meets a tough street youth named Little Bo, who offers to introduce David to the main gangs still out on the streets, namely the mixed white Mau Maus, and the predominantly black Bishops, who are fighting each other for territory. Who the gangs hate more than each other, however, are the authorities. David turns his attentions to the two gangs, and wants them to know that God loves them no matter who they are or what they do, and in doing so will guide them to ...
More
The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) Reviews
Very good movie
OK, I agree, the movie does have some bad acting in it but until u meet the actual man the movie has a lot less meaning & does seem a bit laughable. I met Nicky Cruz not long ago & I believe meeting him & hearing the story from him made the movie a lot more meaningful & I really enjoy it. I suggest that if you get a chance meet the man. I believe his story can really change lives, something definitely changed in me when I met him. If you haven't seen it yet I suggest you do. If its your first time seeing it, keep in mind that it is a true story, maybe you will take it a bit more seriously. And just try to block out the bad acting in some points of the movie =)
It's a TRUE story
I find it hilarious how other people are commenting that the film is unrealistic. Try reading the book, guys! This film is based on a true story, and although minor parts have been changed, the story about David and Nicky is true. Also, another IMDb user wrote in their comment that David refuses to take a severely stabbed Nicky to hospital unless he accept Christ. Maybe this person hasn't seen the film, or their hate of Christianity was deluding them, but this does not happen in the film. This film's a picture of what a messed up life on drugs is truly like, and the solution is Christ. Take it or leave it, but bagging a film just because it's Christian is just immature.
God loves Nicky Cruz
This is the best made amateur Christian film of all time! It is the true story of preacher David Wilkerson who felt called by God to go into the city to help the troubled gang members. The acting can be uneven at times but the direction was very well done. Eric Estrada is excellent as Nicky Cruz. The biggest problem with this production is the musical soundtrack. The story is very good even if the dialog is somewhat hokey. All in all a good solid entertaining film that should convert even the toughest of skeptics. It realistically deals with what life on the streets is all about. See this movie, you'll be glad you did!
More than a Spiritual Movie
I saw this movie when I was 13 years old, while first released at the theaters. It has stayed with me ever since. I am not a religious person, and the heart of this movie is not in my memory for spiritual reasons. It is the true story of the heartbreaking struggles of a few, then dozens, then hundreds of streetkids. It is the true story of the bitter-sweet survival, recovery, success of one after another. And the utter sadness in the loss and waste of those lost to drugs, crime, and/or prison. What moved me wasn't as much the tenacity and courage of the preacher who gave up his comforts to live and work among those of the street, which was enormous, but the fact that these kids were found, or found someone, to pull them out, to fight for them until they finally became capable of fighting for themselves. There is both humor and drama in this story of kids who learned through the efforts of one single man, constantly, unrelentlessly, with creativity and iron testicles, that they can overcome.
The best psychedelic 1960s Christian "West Side Story"...may contain spoilers
Without a doubt, Erik Estrada's first role was his greatest, and why Pat Boone didn't collect any prizes just blows my mind. Preacher Pat comes to New York City and steps into a gang war between the Maus Maus and the Bishops...an alternate universe where a conglomerate white/Latino gang is named for Kenyan freedom fighters and Estrada sweats out a Broadway performance as real-life reformed gangster Nicky Cruz. When Pat decides to hold a youth rally in a hall "big enough for all the gangs and junkies in New York", one of his local converts snickers, "that won't fit any hall, that'll fill the Grand Canyon." Yeah, but even the Big Apple is tamed by the power of Jesus in this bizarre Afterschool Special, such as when Pat and his friends pray away the withdrawals of Estrada's junky girlfriend, sent by the gang leader with a switchblade to kill the meddling man of God for a mere $10 fix. Not a soul can resist Boone's exhortation, "Come on with all your hang-ups, and let Jesus clean you up." The camp in this 1960s Christian masterpiece rarely wavers; the price of admission, however, is definitely a two bong-hit minimum. Enjoy.