Hell up in Harlem

R

1973

1h 36m

Crime

Drama

List

22%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In Harlem, N.Y., crime boss Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson) is gravely injured while escaping a hit ordered by the corrupt district attorney, DiAngelo (Gerald Gordon). As he recovers, his father, Papa Gibbs (Julius W. Harris), assumes control of the gang, which angers Tommy's best henchman, Zach (Tony King), who goes on to collaborate with DiAngelo and frame Papa Gibbs for the murder of Tommy's ex-wife. This sets off a series of bloody betrayals that ricochet within the crime world.

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Audience Member

Any fight scene that crosses the country is tremendous.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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delysid d

I have not seen black ceasar but I enjoyed this one better than the Nigger Charley Movies

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/06/17

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Audience Member

Haven't you ever seen a man shot before? Tommy Gibbs is a man with government secrets that hides from the law and keeps to himself. His ex-wife, who is informed Tommy is in deep trouble, sells off his secrets. She thinks she is saving him; instead, she is kidnapped and tortured. Tommy comes out of hiding and hunts down the men responsible for taking his ex-wife. "He's always had a knack for fucking women." Larry Cohen, director of Original Gangstas, A Return to Salem's Lot, It's Alive, It Lives Again, Wicked Stepmother, and Full Moon High, delivers Hell up in Harlem. The storyline for this picture is okay and contains interesting characters. The script was entertaining with a few funny zingers. The cast delivers okay performances for the genre and the cast includes Fred Williamson, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry, and Margaret Avery. "An old man is going to whoop my ass?" I am a huge grindhouse fan and appreciate the blaxploitation films within the genre. This is a better than average action picture and a worthwhile addition to the genre. This isn't a perfect picture by any means, but it is worth a viewing if you're a fan of the genre. "You ain't fit to raise children." Grade: C+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

bad ass old school gangster movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Even before the "Black Caesar" reel spun to an end after it's first theatrical showing, American International Pictures new they had a huge moneymaker demanded a sequel. Writer/director Larry Cohen was more than happy to obliged but only one problem kept his sequel from reaching the thrown stature of the original.... it was AIP wanted the sequel yesterday and the mega rushed production rears its ugly head throughout the entire running time of this quickly made, but still enjoyable sequel to the monumental Blaxploitation classic "Black Caesar." The plot picks up right after the first film ended with our title character (Fred Williamson returning) dying in the ruins of his childhood home, clutching the ledgers that contained evidence of every corrupt political and influential individuals in New York. His dad comes to his rescue, saving his son and soon it's daddy and son hitting the streets take sweet revenge on all the politicians that put a hit to have our Harlem godfather killed. The first major problem with this sequel is that it was made so quickly after the first film that Fred Williamson was already busy with another film obligation. Instead of waiting till he was done, Cohen was forced to start shooting the film without his main star and thus a stand-ins had to be used in many shots. Cohen does his best to use clever editing techniques and camera angles to try to hid the fact the actor wasn't there for the entire shoot but it still comes off rather choppy and obvious, taking me out of the picture momentarily. The second problem is Cohen's plot seems condensed to fit into an standard running time. There's enough material here to drag out the engaging story of our black godfather into two more films but apparently AIP didn't feel so Cohen's script moves along too fast, with to many subplots for audiences to keep up. By the time the ending comes around and just felt hallow as even all the subplots weren't resolved properly in the amount of time allotted. Considering all the challenges and brick walls Cohen faced with making this sequel, he still did a credible job and surprisingly, for the most part, makes the film mostly work despite all the flaws caused by its rushed production. Williamson is likeable as ever in his cool yet dark antihero role and I dug the expanded role of his father (Julius Harris, doing a wonderful job). The James Brown-less music is also commendable making this flawed sequel still a must see for fans of the original. Bonus Praise: The film was original made as "Black Caesar's Sweet Revenge" but the producers demanded a title change as this was released so close to the first film that they were afraid people would mistake this sequel as the first film. I don't quite understand this as both "Shaft" and "Slaughter" had similarly titled sequels with "Shaft's Big Score" and "Slaughter's Big Rip-off". However, despite the title change, I have to say "Hell Up in Harlem" is a badass title. If one must change a film's title, make sure it's badass like "Hell Up in Harlem."

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

You know the term so bad it's good... Hell up in Harlem is exactly that. Filled with random scenes, un defined story and characters and confusing storytelling, Hell up in Harlem should be a terrible film that nobody likes. Take the fact that it's so over the top, non-sensical and full of violence and Hell up in Harlem becomes super fun and enjoyable. This is truly a film that makes up for what it lacks in style and skill with everything we love in an action movie... ACTION! No beating around the bush (unless the cat deserved it), Hell up in Harlem gets right to the fight scenes and only lets up for some pimp action, small sections of dialogue and crazy attempts at moving the plot along. I highly recommend you watch this film if you are at all into Blaxploitation films and lean more towards their fun factor rather than their social commentary or historical impact.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Larry Cohen

Director

Fred Williamson

Tommy Gibbs

Julius Harris

Papa Gibbs

Gloria Hendry

Helen Bradley

Margaret Avery

Sister Jennifer

D'Urville Martin

Rev. Rufus

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Lacks nearly everything that made its predecessor so groovy.

Rated: C

Jan 20, 2006

Full Review

Sean Mulvihill

FanboyNation.com

Hell Up in Harlem is a lean, mean work of Blaxploitation that may not stand as one of the genre's high water marks but still entertains to this day thanks to the natural charms of Fred Williamson and the brazen instincts of Larry Cohen.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 31, 2018

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Preposterously rousing

Feb 12, 2010

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 24, 2005

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Apollo Guide

Rated: 49/100

May 13, 2005

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Rated: 0/5

Mar 27, 2004

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Synopsis

In Harlem, N.Y., crime boss Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson) is gravely injured while escaping a hit ordered by the corrupt district attorney, DiAngelo (Gerald Gordon). As he recovers, his father, Papa Gibbs (Julius W. Harris), assumes control of the gang, which angers Tommy's best henchman, Zach (Tony King), who goes on to collaborate with DiAngelo and frame Papa Gibbs for the murder of Tommy's ex-wife. This sets off a series of bloody betrayals that ricochet within the crime world.

Director: Larry Cohen
Producer: Samuel Z. Arkoff, Peter Sabiston
Screenwriter: Larry Cohen
Production Co: American International Pictures (AIP)
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 36m

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