Tough (film)

Tough, also known as Johnny Tough, is a 1974 blaxploitation film about a young teenager who rebels against authority.
The film is a homage to The 400 Blows.

Cast

Dion Gossett as Johnny Banes
Christopher Townes as Chris
Renny Roker as Phil Banes
Rich Holmes as Mr. Bishop
Sandy Reed as Denise Banes
Loretta King as Teacher
Philip Hadler as David
Detra Piernas as Bonnie
Mary Bailey
Shawn Bailey

Reception

A. H. Weiler of The New York Times called the performances from the young actors "natural and convincing," but found that the film "states its intentions honestly but superficially. The emotion generated is rarely equal to the drama's good intentions." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film zero stars out of four, calling it a "shameful mess" that blended "a simplistic plea for adults to understand that their behavior influences children" with "a nasty collection of juvenile thrill scenes." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times was positive and called the film "very poignant. As infuriating as its people can be, they are always recognizably human. Above all, the film goes right to the heart of the matter. Jackson gets splendid performances all around and demonstrates a special gift for handling kids."