Hell Up In Harlem

Fred Williamson is the man. He was the sexiest african american actor of the 70's..and still sexy today..:-)

It was a great sequel. The James Brown sound tracks were right on! I would suggest buying the 2 DVD special. It's a great deal. I've seen Black Ceasar and Hell up in Harlem sold for a lot more.

I will always love Fred Williamson. If you are Fred Williams fan..you will like him in One down..two to go" the "Kill Reflex".."Bucktown". I can go on and on.

I own every film that Fred Williamson has been in.

I liked it better than Black Caesar. There is more action and Drama in this one, as Tommy takes revenge on those who set him up in the first one.

One video guidebook dismissed it as a "turkey"; another called it "bomb." "Hell Up in Harlem" didn't and won't get critical acclaim, that's for sure. But I say, it's terrific!

Don't get me wrong. From purely artistic point of view, the film IS awful. It doesn't know where it goes; it is full of hurriedly shot scenes with shoddy editing; and most of all, didn't Fred Willaimson die at the end of "Black Caesar"?

BUT ... Yes, but "Hell" still entertains us. And much more fun than you expect from lukewarm reception from critics. Okay, so, let me tell you what you see in this movie. Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) is not dead, and he is sent to a hospital under the guard of gangsters who take hostages of other patients and doctors (wow!) while having the operation. And Gibbs comes back, with his father (Julius Harris), and again they fight and rule. But again another corrupt white DA is waiting for the time to divide and destroy them.

Well, forget the story. The point is, you see lots of action one after another, so you never stop and think about it. Just look how Fred Williamson wipes out his enemies. He assassinates one of them with a rifle from the Broadway signboard; he massacares the mobsters in the Florida Keys with a help from ... two middle-aged, Afro-American maids (the kind of housemaids you see in "Gone with the Wind") who hold guns with most wooden posture and grinning faces. Even Coney Island is no longer a peaceful place for amusement. Fred Williamson takes up a beach parasol (among other things on the beach) and, OUCH!! one of the gangsters meets nasty death instead of the cozy sunshine on his stomach.

Looking back from now, "Hell Up in Harlem" seems to have gone a little too far. The chain of its incredible plot twist and intense actions may make some of us tired of watching it, and some wise-cracking lines may make some of us very uncomfortable (for example, listen to a one-liner about "soul food" and watermelon). But it is still fun. Probably it was produced too quickly, but again Larry Cohen's fast-paced direction seldom gets us bored with unique hand-held camera and authentic locations. And the film gives one of the earliest performance of Oscar nominated Margaret Avery (for "The Color Purple", 13 years later).

Anyway, my final verdict. Don't think; just enjoy watching this outrageous film. This is what you call fun.

But, not as good as Black Caesar. There was a good deal of action in this film, more than the predecessor, and you can definetly tell that a lot more money was spent on this movie, however it lacked the originality and spontanaity of the first film. The action scenes were better, and the story was very well thought out, but the movie just lacked something. Tommy Gibbs is still a super ... though, and I wouldn't wanna mess with him. "Hell Up In Harlem" just strikes me as a sequel with a LOT of potential, and energy that would have made a fine film, but the tale gets caught up too much in trying to out do the first film, instead of building upon it. ... I think this is a must see for fans of the fisrt film, but don't be surprised if you are disappointed.

Just a really good film. Think ODD MAN OUT of the 70's.