Black Caesar - Il Padrino nero

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")

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!

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.

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.

'Black Caesar' is one of the most underrated movies of the early 70s blaxploitation boom. Fred "the Hammer" Williamson was one of the most charismatic and cool male stars of the period. Added to that writer/director Larry Cohen ('Q', 'The Stuff', 'Maniac Cop', 'It's Alive!, 'God Told Me To',etc.) and you've got yourself movie dynamite! This gritty rise and fall crime saga will not only appeal to fans of 'Superfly' and 'Coffy' but also to fans of 'Scarface', 'Goodfellas', 'The King Of New York' and even 'The Godfather' trilogy. Williamson plays Tommy Gibbs, a crippled ghetto kid who grows up with one thing in mind - revenge. He ingratiates himself with a local mobster Cardoza (Val Avery, 'The Anderson Tapes') then works his way up until one day he seizes power and becomes "the black Godfather". Along the way he uses and discards many people including his girlfriend Helen (Gloria Hendry, 'Black Belt Jones'), and creates many enemies, not least of which is corrupt cop McKinney (Art Lund, Junior Jackson's Dad in 'The Last American Hero'), a man he has a long history with. The supporting cast in this one is really strong and also includes Julius Harris ('Superfly') as Gibbs' estranged father and D'Urville Martin ('Dolemite') as his childhood friend, the now Reverend Rufus. 'Black Caesar' is gritty, exciting and raw. Williamson's performance is unforgettable and the whole thing is brilliant entertainment. Highly recommended!