Hell Up in Harlem
Hell Up in Harlem is a 1973 blaxploitation American neo-noir film,[1] starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. Written and directed by Larry Cohen, it is a sequel to the film Black Caesar.
| Hell Up in Harlem | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by John Solie | |
| Directed by | Larry Cohen |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff Larry Cohen James Dixon Peter Sabiston Janelle Webb |
| Written by | Larry Cohen |
| Starring | Fred Williamson Margaret Avery Julius Harris Gloria Hendry D'Urville Martin |
| Music by | Edwin Starr |
| Cinematography | Fenton Hamilton |
| Edited by | Franco Guerri Peter Honess |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film's soundtrack was recorded by Edwin Starr and released by Motown Records in January 1974.
Plot
Having survived the assassination attempt at the end of Black Caesar, Tommy Gibbs takes on corrupt New York District Attorney DiAngelo, who had sought to jail Gibbs and his father, Papa Gibbs, in order to monopolize the illicit drug trade. Gibbs decides to eliminate drug pushing from the streets of Harlem, while continuing to carry out his other illicit enterprises. Gibbs falls in love with Sister Jennifer (Margaret Avery), a woman who works with Reverend Rufus, a former pimp who has found a religious calling.
Gibbs and his father have a falling out after Gibbs is told by his enforcer, Zach, that his father ordered the death of Gibbs' ex-wife, Helen. Gibbs and Jennifer move to Los Angeles, leaving Papa Gibbs in charge of the Harlem territory. It is later revealed that Zach himself killed Helen as part of a move to take over the territory, with the assistance of DiAngelo. Gibbs defeats hit men sent to take him out in Los Angeles, while Papa dies from a heart attack while fighting Zach.
Knowing that DiAngelo will be having the New York airports and roads watched, Gibbs flies in to Philadelphia, and then enters New York City on foot in order to carry out a personal war against Zach and DiAngelo.
Cast
- Fred Williamson — Tommy Gibbs
- Julius Harris — Papa Gibbs
- Gloria Hendry — Helen
- Margaret Avery — Sister Jennifer
- D'Urville Martin — Reverend Rufus
- Tony King — Zach
- Gerald Gordon — DiAngelo
- Bobby Ramsen — Joe Frankfurter
- James Dixon — Irish
- Esther Sutherland — The Cook
- Charles MacGuire — Charles MacGregor
Release on DVD & HD
- In 2001 it was released on DVD.
- In 2010 it was digitized in High Definition (1080i) and broadcast on MGMHD.
See also
References
- Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; Ursini, James; Porfirio, Robert (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopaedia. Overlook Duckworth (New York). ISBN 978-1-59020-144-2.
External links
- Hell Up in Harlem at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Hell Up in Harlem at AllMovie
- Hell Up in Harlem at IMDb
- Hell Up in Harlem at Rotten Tomatoes