Hell Up in Harlem (1973)

A gangster in Harlem must rescue his ex-wife, who has been kidnapped by the Mafia.

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Fred Williamson, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Williamson	...	Tommy Gibbs
Julius Harris	...	Papa Gibbs (as Julius W. Harris)
Gloria Hendry	...	Helen Bradley
Margaret Avery	...	Sister Jennifer
D'Urville Martin	...	Reverend Rufus
Tony King	...	Zach
Gerald Gordon	...	Mr. DiAngelo
Bobby Ramsen	...	Joe Frankfurter
James Dixon	...	Irish
Esther Sutherland	...	The Cook
Charles MacGuire	...	Hap
Ty Randolph	...	Tough Bikini Woman (as Mindi Miller)

Storyline

Tommy comes from a forced rest period due to injuries suffered in Harlem's gang warfare. With the help of his girl, he will reorganize his gang, and overcome his rival gang leaders, through extreme acts of violence and death.

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Plot Keywords:

violence | gangster | mafia | rescue | villain | 

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Taglines:

He may never get to heaven, but he's raisin' Hell up in Harlem.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Caesar Part II

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Larry Cohen filmed some of the scenes with the same crew and equipment as It's Alive, and due to Fred Williamson's other commitments he had to make most of the film with a stand-in, Williamson himself only really appearing in the close-ups. The close-ups were filmed in LA, where Williamson was based, and the rest of the film was shot on location in New York.

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Connections

Featured in TCM Underground: Black Caesar/Hell Up in Harlem (2007)

User Reviews

Black Exploitation Classics courtesy of Larry Cohen.

Hell Up In Harlem (1973) was a follow up to the classic Black Caesar. Do to the box office success of the former film, the producers wanted another sequel to cash in on the popularity of the first film. So Larry Cohen quickly completed a script that was going to follow the revenge of Tommy Gibbs. This time he's out to get rid of the clowns that he forgot to finish off in the first film. Papa Gibbs has taken control of his son's empire and Rev. Rufus is back as well.

Not bad for a movie that was hastily put together. A fitting end for Tommy Gibbs as he tries to turn his life around in the process of seeking vengeance. One of the better black "exploitiation" films to come out of the seventies. If you enjoyed Black Caesar, you'll love Hell Up In Harlem.

Highly recommended.