Hell Up in Harlem (1973)

Would it be unprofessional of me to say that "Hell Up in Harlem" is cool as hell?

Hey, wait, I don't get paid for this. I'm not a professional!

"Hell Up in Harlem" is cool as hell!

This 1973 picture, written and directed by cult auteur Larry Cohen, delivers just about all you look for in a blaxploitation effort: Violence, Nudity (well, a little bit), Profanity, Evil Whitey, Kickin' Soundtrack, Revenge, Swagger...and it also adds some great oddball touches that make the movie stand out in its own right.

Before I mention those touches, let's get back to "Swagger." Star Fred "The Hammer" Williamson never became the most polished thespian in Hollywood, and he certainly was no Laurence "The Anvil" Olivier back in '73, but he had swagger. It still comes through the screen today, even though NFL Films and some of his on-field rivals enjoy puncturing his aura by reminding us that he was knocked out of Super Bowl I with a concussion after yakking it up before the game.

Hey, it happens. The Hammer brings that swagger and cool to the role of Tommy Gibbs, and he has enough charisma to carry this kind of movie along. He has some solid help in Julius Harris as his father and Gerald Gordon as the villainous DiAngelo (Remember Evil Whitey?), but he is good enough in his second outing as black underworld kingpin Gibbs.

Yep, "Harlem" is actually a rushed sequel to the hit "Black Caesar," and the way Cohen executes the transition is one of those great touches that makes me smile. Cohen recycles a good deal of footage from the ending of "Caesar," but alters enough of the outcome to set up the new movie. Yep, years before it became commonplace in the comic book world, "Hell Up in Harlem" gives us a RETCON!

Even among the great music-driven blaxploitation films of the seventies, this one is notable for its excellent soundtrack. Edwin Starr sings the, well, hell out of the title song, setting the stage with aplomb and assuring us that whatever is gonna happen in this film, it will be momentous, and it will kick ass. Anybody who enjoyed Starr asking "War--what is it GOOD for?" will enjoy his new query: "Ain't it hell, hell up in Harlem?" But Starr also soars on change-of-pace songs like the ballad "Love Never Dies" and the mellow "Easin' In" and "Like We Used to Do."

From what I've read, Williamson wasn't even available for much of this shoot, forcing Cohen to use stand-ins and kind of piece the film together as best as he could. The story may not be smooth in some places, but there are great sequences like when Gibbs' crew takes over a hospital and seizes hostages so Tommy can be treated without being executed by D.A. DiAngelo's goon cops. It's a tense, chaotic stretch, but also a lot of fun, serving as a good microcosm of the entire movie.

Then there is the scene in which Gibbs' gang storms a Mafia resort on an island "somewhere near the Florida Keys," an absurd battle with bullets, martial arts, and a final gag of the turncoat black servants gleefully serving soul food to the white mobsters at gunpoint. Oh, yeah, and at some point in this, one of the bikini-clad sunbathers lounging around the estate jumps out of nowhere and attacks Gibbs with some wicked kung fu moves!

There are the requisite tender moments as well, as "Harlem" does work to establish an emotional storyline. You can also just sit back and enjoy the simple vengeance plot, though, right up to the grisly finale. I can't argue that "Hell Up in Harlem" is an example of stellar filmmaking, and it's technically subpar compared to some of the other blaxploitation classics of its era. But I can tell you that it's a lot of fun, in no small part because of those rough edges.