A Rage in Harlem (1991)

A beautiful black gangster's moll flees to Harlem with a trunkload of gold after a shootout, unaware that the rest of the gang, and a few other unsavoury characters, are on her trail. A ... See full summary »

Director:

Bill Duke

Writers:

Chester Himes (novel), John Toles-Bey (screenplay)

Stars:

Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines, Robin Givens

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Forest Whitaker	...	Jackson
Gregory Hines	...	Goldy
Robin Givens	...	Imabelle
Zakes Mokae	...	Big Kathy
Danny Glover	...	Easy Money
Badja Djola	...	Slim
John Toles-Bey	...	Jodie
Tyler Collins	...	Teena
Ron Taylor	...	Hank
Samm-Art Williams	...	Gus Parsons
Stack Pierce	...	Coffin Ed
Willard E. Pugh	...	Claude X
Helen Martin	...	Mrs. Canfield
Wendell Pierce	...	Louis
T.K. Carter	...	Smitty

Storyline

A beautiful black gangster's moll flees to Harlem with a trunkload of gold after a shootout, unaware that the rest of the gang, and a few other unsavoury characters, are on her trail. A pudgy momma's boy becomes the object of her affections and the unlikely hero of the tale.

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Plot Keywords:

harlem manhattan new york city | femme fatale | african american | based on novel | shootout | 

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Taglines:

In the next 24 hours they'll have to outrun the law, outsmart the mob and outshoot the competition.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sensuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Rage in Harlem - La reine des pommes

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,458,080, 5 May 1991

Gross USA:

$10,438,504

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,438,504

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palace Pictures, Miramax

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Duke was given the directorial assignment because of his experience helming several episodes of Hill Street Blues (1981).

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Goofs

The movie is set in the 1950's but if you look out of the train window in the last scene you'll see 1990's cars.

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Quotes

Goldy: Did you hear what they said? There's gold in Harlem!

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Backdraft/Truly Madly Deeply/Madonna: Truth or Dare/The Ballad of the Sad Cafe/A Rage in Harlem (1991)

User Reviews

Good, but nothing like the novel

This is a pretty good, violent, gangster romp directed with definite panache by Bill Duke. Forrest Whitaker plays a decent upstanding Christian boy how gets embroiled in hokey plot involving stolen money (or something) and Robin Givens. Different groups of parties are all after the dough (including Forrest's good for nothing brother Gregory Hines), when Forrest just wants the girl. Its pretty hackneyed stuff, but the players (in particular the great Gregory Hines and the baddass Danny Glover) elevate it to a standard that just serves to entertain and no more.

It also features a great recurring joke about a picture of Jesus that I won't spoil.

The only problem I have with this film is that the book it's based on is actually nothing like this. The first scene in the barn is lifted from the book, but everything else has been changed. The two cops in the film, Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed are Chester Hime's greatest creations, but here they're just an obstacle for Whittaker (who in the book is actually a supporting character and is a coward, here he is the against all the odds hero of the piece). If you haven't read Chester Hime's novels you won't notice, but be prepared to be disappointed with the liberties taken with the story.

On it's own though, this is an accomplished movie from the talented Mr Duke, who's next movie was one of the best of the nineties, Deep Cover.