Main Cast: Fred Williamson, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry, Margaret Avery, D'Urville Martin
Release Year: 1973
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This hastily assembled sequel to the blaxploitation hit Black Caesar downplays the gritty drama of that film to create a pure action tale with a comic book flavor. The story begins with badly wounded crimelord Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson) escaping an assassination attempt masterminded by corrupt District Attorney DiAngelo (Gerald Gordon) with the help of his estranged father, Papa Gibbs (Julius Harris). When DiAngelo's thugs attempt to kill him, Papa fights back and joins his son's criminal organization, a move that angers Gibb's top henchman Zach (Tony King). As Tommy and Papa build up their criminal empire, Zach secretly plots against them with DiAngelo. Zach also murders Helen (Gloria Hendry), Tommy's traitorous ex-wife, and pins in it on Papa to drive a wedge between them. Tommy gives up his New York crime operation and runs off to California. Papa takes over the operation, only to get killed by Zach during a fistfight. Angered by his father's death, Tommy returns to settle the score with Zach and DiAngelo. Hell up in Harlem delivers plenty of action set pieces and did fairly well at the box office, but lacks the consistency and the dramatic punch that made Black Caesar so memorable. As a result, it is considered to be one of Larry Cohen's lesser efforts. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Review
This fast-paced sequel to Black Caesar delivers twice the action of that film, yet is only half as satisfying because it lacks the hard-hitting drama and balanced tone of its predecessor. The key problem is its script, which manages to be underwritten and over-plotted all at once. Hell Up in Harlem also suffers from weak villains; little time is devoted to the motivations of characters like Zach and DiAngelo, so they come off as simple cardboard villains merely designed to push the plot along. Fred Williamson and Julius Harris make a compelling father-son criminal team, but their relationship never gets the time it deserves due to the film's unnecessarily complicated plot. On the plus side, Hell Up in Harlem benefits from a slick funk score by Motown producers Freddie Perren and Fonce Mizell. Also, writer/director Larry Cohen does maintain a snappy pace (an action scene occurs about every five to ten minutes in this film), and works in plenty of odd, witty touches like a chase scene that involves its participants boarding separate planes to pursue each other across the country. However, the constant flow of bullets and fisticuffs becomes numbing after a while, because there is no emotionally involving story to back them up. As a result, Hell Up in Harlem feels like the cinematic equivalent of empty-calorie junk food. It's fun while it lasts, but is ultimately unsatisfying. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
