Black Caesar

Rating:
Summary: Minor production values - Major results
Review: Troubled youth Tommy Gibbs finally meets his match with the "crooked Cop" played by Art Lund - he goes to jail because his "delivery" to the latter is just a little light. The adult Gibbs (ofcourse played by Fred Williamson) returns to the streets years later with a subtle plan for revenge - "payback" will come after he gets established, actually working indirectly with Lund.
The musical soundtrack is by James Brown, who provides a variety of relevant sounds including a touching ballad, "Mama's Dead", to underscore the funeral scene for Tommy's Mother. The next scene is the best in the film. Fred Williamson meets his recently returned Father outside the cemetery and struggles to drop his resentment and relate Son-to-Father. Both Williamson and Julius W. Harris deliver a first-rate, nuanced performance here.
In other sections, Williamson overacts a bit, but overall he does a fine job.
An exceptionally strong performance is by D'Urville Martin as the flambouyant Reverend Rufus, a person caught up in social and personal conflicts. Late in the story he prays for his friend Tommy, reaching for something he had been suppressing, actually discovering his positive role in his community. It's a notable segment.

Rating:
Summary: The Holy Grail of blaxploitation (as far as I'm concerned)
Review: Usually when the word "blaxploitation" is heard by a moderate movie buff, the first film that comes to mind is something like SHAFT or SUPERFLY. Now that is a pity because even though they're both good films their enterainment and personality level dosn't manage to reach BLACK CAESAR. This film is excellent, violent, funny (mostly unintentionally) and fairly unusual for a blaxploitation film; the main character, Tommy Gibbs (Fred "The Hammer" Williams) is a complete loser who starts of as a shoe-shine boy who gets it from white coppers, then he can't get the girl he wants and he ends up getting gunned down in front of Tiffany's! Director, Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE, GOD TOLD ME TO) also manages to capture a lot of Harlem's sleazy atmosphere. James Brown's funky themesong 'Down and Out of New York City' go's down nicely too. Fred and Larry returned to make a sequel (!) HELL UP IN HARLEM (despite the fact that he dies here!). In a recent interview with The Hammer in Shock Cinema, magazine he says that he dosn't really have any memories of Cohen except that he was a very weird guy!

Rating:
Summary: The Holy Grail of blaxploitation (as far as I'm concerned)
Review: Usually when the word "blaxploitation" is heard by a moderate movie buff, the first film that comes to mind is something like SHAFT or SUPERFLY. Now that is a pity because even though they're both good films their enterainment and personality level dosn't manage to reach BLACK CAESAR. This film is excellent, violent, funny (mostly unintentionally) and fairly unusual for a blaxploitation film; the main character, Tommy Gibbs (Fred "The Hammer" Williams) is a complete loser who starts of as a shoe-shine boy who gets it from white coppers, then he can't get the girl he wants and he ends up getting gunned down in front of Tiffany's! Director, Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE, GOD TOLD ME TO) also manages to capture a lot of Harlem's sleazy atmosphere. James Brown's funky themesong 'Down and Out of New York City' go's down nicely too. Fred and Larry returned to make a sequel (!) HELL UP IN HARLEM (despite the fact that he dies here!). In a recent interview with The Hammer in Shock Cinema, magazine he says that he dosn't really have any memories of Cohen except that he was a very weird guy!

Rating:
Summary: Paid the cost to be the boss. Look at me- uknowwhat you see?
Review: YOU SEE A BAD MU! James Brown put together the soundtrack for this film and has some of his best music on here, instrumentals by the JB's that went on to become samples for hip hop favorites, as well as some great tracks including The Boss (quoted) and Born and raised in NYC - "I was born in new york city, on a monday, seems I was out shinin shoes by tuesday noon!" The movie itself is surprisingly pretty good. Tommy is intense and a real bad ass. Neither a simple robin hood, nor a total villian, he's a good character.