Black Caesar

1973
R
1h 27min

CALIFICACIÓN DE IMDb

6.4/10

4.3 k

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Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry in Black Caesar (1973)

Raised in Harlem, Tommy Gibbs becomes a successful mob boss but he clashes with the rival Mafia and his old enemy, dirty cop McKinney.

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Acción Crimen Drama Thriller

Un joven de Harlem asciende como líder criminal, enfrentándose al poder de la mafia italiana y a un policía corrupto que lo marcó en su pasado.Un joven de Harlem asciende como líder criminal, enfrentándose al poder de la mafia italiana y a un policía corrupto que lo marcó en su pasado.Un joven de Harlem asciende como líder criminal, enfrentándose al poder de la mafia italiana y a un policía corrupto que lo marcó en su pasado.

Ver la información de producción en IMDbPro

CALIFICACIÓN DE IMDb

6.4/10

4.3 k

TU CALIFICACIÓN

Ver la información de producción en IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:20

Trailer

Fotos17

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Opiniones de usuarios48

6.44.3K

Opiniones destacadas

6claudio_carvalho

The Rise and Fall of a Gangster

In 1953, the delinquent teenager Tommy is raised in Harlem in a period of a racist American society. When he grows up, he becomes a hitman (Fred Williamson) working for the Italian mafia. When he steals accounting ledgers from the mafia, he becomes a powerful kingpin in Harlem, keeping the mobsters and the dirty police commissary McKinney (Art Lund) under his control. But his fall begins when he learns that his mistress Helen (Gloria Hendry) is betraying him with his best friend.

"Black Caesar" is an American action film by Larry Cohen, with the dramatic story of the rise and fall of a black gangster in Harlem. The plot may be dated in the present days, but in 1973 it was a full of action classic of blaxploitation. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Chefão do Gueto" ("The Big Boss of the Ghetto")

5Uriah43

The Sum Didn't Equal the Parts

Having grown up in extreme poverty in New York City and seeing firsthand the corruption, racism and criminal activity of those in law enforcement, "Tommy Gibbs" (Fred Williamson) decides that he wants to rise to the top and doesn't care what it takes. So he murders a mobster in cold blood to ingratiate himself with a rival kingpin and for this is allowed to set up his own small operation in an unprofitable part of Harlem. What follows is a steady rise to power helped in great measure by his obtaining some ledgers which list all of the corrupt politicians and the payments made to them under the table. Now, as far as a "blaxploitation film" is concerned this one wasn't too bad. Fred Williamson performed decently enough but my main concern was that it seemed like the sum didn't equal the parts. To be more specific, there were some very good scenes but they weren't connected very well. All in all then it wasn't a bad film and those who enjoy movies in this genre might like this one too. I rate it as average.

DJ Inferno

Black coolness!

Larry Cohen´s "Black Caesar" is next to the amazing "Foxy Brown" one of my absolute favorite Blaxploitation movies! It´s full of heavy gun violence, cynical humor and Fred Williamson in the lead is probably the coolest male Afro American actor of the 1970s! Take also note of the funky disco soundtrack by the Godfather of Soul James Brown! Will catch the indirect sequel "Hell Up in Harlem" soon, so watch out for my upcoming review!

DJAkin

Great BLACK movie of the 70s!!

This was a great movie for BLAXPLOITATION. I recently became a HUGE FAN of this kind of movie. Fred Williamson just OOZES the essence of COOL!!! He is cool all the way through the movie. He sure does get even with that JERK OF A RACIST cop!!! I was amazed how TENSE this movie became toward the end!!! Still, Fred Williamson was buff and cool the entire movie. The music was really good as well. There was some great James Brown music. "I paid the cost to be the boss." That song personified the wonderful Fred Williamson!!! I plan to watch the commentary here pretty soon. I was shocked though at the way Fred was shot in the street yet he continued to walk around New York and nobody seemed to really care that he was shot. Very sad.

Michael_Elliott

Decent Gangster

Black Caesar (1973)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Classic blaxploitation film has Fred Williamson taking on all the crime bosses trying to make it to the top. However, as we all know, once you're at the top there's only one place left to go. I've heard a lot about this blaxploitation film over the years so I was happy to finally get to see it but in the end there's nothing too original here to keep it highly entertaining throughout. I think the biggest problem is that we've seen this type of gangster story countless times before and this one even borrows from some classic gangster films like Scarface and Angels with Dirty Faces. Those homages are fun but the film starts to wear out in the final half hour, although things do pick up for the exciting ending. Williamson turns in a fine performance in the title role and he really was one of the classics of the genre. His tough talk and cool style fit the genre perfectly and director Cohen really knew how to use him. There's all the typical stuff from this genre including the racist whites, cool talk and this one even features a terrific opening song from James Brown. The best scene in the movie is the one where Williamson confronts his father who left him as a child.

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Argumento

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Trivia
While filming in Harlem, Larry Cohen was accosted by local gangsters who threatened to disrupt the shoot unless they were paid off. Instead, Cohen offered them small roles in the film. They helped so enthusiastically that they attended the premiere to sign autographs.

Errores
Tommy cuts off the left ear of the man in the barber's chair, but the ear he drops into the plate of spaghetti is a right ear.

Citas
Tommy Gibbs: That used to be home, sweet home, Pa. Top window. Rear
Mr. Gibbs: Always seemed to me like a much bigger building.
Tommy Gibbs: You must know what I do for a living.
Mr. Gibbs: I'm not gonna lecture you. I don't have the right.
Tommy Gibbs: Did it ever occur to you... That I've been waiting 25 years just to kill you?
Mr. Gibbs: No. No. Wait, listen please. I mean, it was the depression. I mean, you don't know what it was like to... Then the war and my chance to get away. You never had those responsibilities. I mean, you never been trapped. Oh, no. Not knowing where to run or who to-- or who to hate. I was 20 years old, 20 years old when I enlisted. And I was a cook all through the war. I was a cook!
Tommy Gibbs: You never sent home one allotment check. My ma had to scrub floors on her hands and knees for pennies!
[pins his father against a wall pointing his gun at him]
Tommy Gibbs: I'm gonna kill you!
Mr. Gibbs: She-- she couldn't get no allotment! We wasn't married legal! Folks didn't bother much in those days.
Tommy Gibbs: [lowers his gun and turns away] She never told me.
Mr. Gibbs: I--I could have sent you something.
Tommy Gibbs: Go on. Start walkin.'
Mr. Gibbs: I didn't mean to break it to you that way. I mean, I wouldn't have said anything...
Tommy Gibbs: Don't matter. Move on, before I change my mind. Pa! I don't ever want to see you again.
Mr. Gibbs: I understand, son.
Reverend Rufus: What are you going to do now? Kill your momma?

Versiones alternativas
The European version included an additional scene before the end credits, where, after Tommy Gibbs is seen wandering in a neighborhood slum, a street gang robs him and fatally beats him up. This sequence was originally cut from U.S. prints, as AIP was already interested in making a sequel. However, in the late 1990s, when MGM bought the Orion Pictures library, the European cut made its way to home video, due to a mix-up on MGM's part. Therefore, all current video releases, to this day, feature this print.