Hell Up in Harlem

After narrowly escaping death, gangster Tommy Gibbs seeks revenge.

Hell Up in Harlem, the sequel to Black Caesar picks up about 15 minutes before the first movie ended. After a little editing to work around Fred Williamson’s character dying at the end of the original film, we’re off and running.

The first act moves quick, as the title character seeks to reestablish his empire by taking out the competition. Lots of slow-motion shots of people pulling triggers smiling. Not great film-making by any stretch, but at least it’s amusing.

The problem is, once Tommy Gibbs reclaims his turf there’s nothing left for him to do. The movie wanders aimlessly for a hour until the finale once again sees Williamson in action.

This was clearly an attempt to cash in on the surprising success of the original movie and it shows. Fred Williamson has less screen time (the movie was shot on weekends while he was working on another movie), the script feels rushed, and the third act is just ludicrous.

Thus, if you’ve got an itch only a 1970s Fred Williamson gangster flick can scratch, watch the original Black Caesar instead.