Black Caesar

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!

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")

As I watched this low budget film I came to realize that while it is exploitation, it's still a story of an angry man that deep down wanted respect from those close to him. The film starts out with a young kid in 1953 Harlem who makes money giving shoe shines and gets involved in a mob hit and is told to take a package to a building to a bad cop named McKinney (Art Lund). McKinney accuses the kid of stealing money from him and is beaten badly until he has a broken leg. Fast forward to the mid 60's and young Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson) is now a grown man and executes a mob hit on his own and tells a mafioso named Cardoza (Val Avery) that he's responsible and wants in with the mob and just wants to run an area in Harlem. He rises in power and has some important log books with all the information on important people on the take. He has a girl named Helen (Gloria Hendry) but doesn't have the sophistication to keep her. Finally the mob decides to get rid of him and now he's the target! This film was directed by Larry Cohen (It's Alive!) who is a veteran of low budget efforts and the film is benefited by his experience. The film is actually shot on location in Harlem and in several shots you can see people staring at the camera. Also, the Apollo Theater is seen as the camera pans the street. While this is another version of "Little Caesar" there is an aspect of the story that I found very well handled and it was the scenes where Tommy Gibbs is feeling betrayed and alone. One scene in particular that stands out is at his mothers funeral and he asks his father if he's all right. What adds to these scenes is the effective use of music that helps establish the mood of the film and these scenes in particular. The music is by James Brown and Barry DeVorzon. Even with limited funds and some poorly dubbed dialogue can't detract from the emotions in parts of this film. Fred Williamson is a former football player and his acting experience was very limited so his performance is even more impressive to watch. The guy has natural charisma on screen but he also shows that he can bare his emotions like any good actor. If you like these types of films than this is one of the classics of its genre. As much fun as it was to watch Williamson smear shoe polish on Lund and make him sing "Mammy" the film has more to offer than that. The scenes of Williamson's character feeling alone and betrayed along with the good music score are what make this film stand out from the others of its kind. Classic exploitation.

Not one to miss on an opportunity, Larry Cohen's second feature film utilised the explosion of blaxploitation cinema after the successes of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) and Shaft (1971), and crafted his own "black" action film, modelled on the 1931 film Little Caesar. Fred Williamson plays the titular role, a boy from the streets, witnessing and being victim of brutality from the white community, and particularly a local police officer, McKinney (Art Lund). As an adult, Caesar's goal is to become kingpin of Harlem, and he won't let anything stand in his way.

The narrative is a story told over, which focuses on a person who looses everything in the pursuit of power, including childhood friends, wives, and particularly looses sight of the person that they are. It's always great to watch a Cohen movie from this period. When filming in the streets (in this case New York - of which is his usual setting), his guerilla-style is self evident: clearly in the making of these films, Cohen does not get any kind of permission to film, he simply turns up and does it. In one scene, Williamson has been shot, the camera follows him down the busy street from a roof top, and passers by seem to want to help him. It's these elements of exploitation cinema that I embrace.

Whilst this is certainly not one of Cohen's greatest (check out his horror output for some terrifically socio-political subtexts), the film oozes charm. Not only do we have the easy-cool of Fred Williamson, the film also has the ubiquitous Gloria Hendry , although not in her usual kung-fu-influenced fighting mode. Even though this film is less well known than Shaft or Superfly (1972), who's soundtracks were composed by soul giants Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield respectively, Black Caesar's soundtrack is provided by the godfather of soul himself, James Brown: Break it down! Heeyyyyaa!!

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BLACK CAESAR is only the first half in the gangster epic of Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson). It has attitude, and comes up strong in detailing the urbanized ghetto culture in a gritty style. Compare this to THE GODFATHER, if you will, because there isn't a lot going on here that its second-half sequel HELL UP IN HARLEM actually offers much more to the story (Maltin, take note of this!). Both films gave Williamson the spotlight he deserved in show business with his mean, dirty style of action-packed influence. This one's just warming up. Best scene to remember: Gibbs putting on the shoe polish of a white man's face to resemble Al Jolson, only in beating the living daylights out of him as he shouts "Mammy! Mammy!". As you'd normally expect for a "blaction" classic, it's pure entertainment, and James Brown's soul music score (absent in the sequel) is the best I've heard. There is a call for examination on Gibbs' "superior" gang who wants to rule over the opposing race, a plot that sometimes goes overboard and needs to be studied. You need to check out and watch BOTH of these titles simultaneously to avoid instant confusion, letting them stick together into a three-hour movie on its own.