Gang War

Ignore the fact that this is a movie with an all black cast and just take it for what it is, a really good crime drama.

The plot of this little gem has Bob "Killer" Meade making his move to take over the gangs in Harlem after his boss refuses to do anything about a friend who was killed in a gang fight over territory.Meade kills his boss and then begins to move to increase his hold on the rackets and fight the other gangs. Its a violent affair that only pauses for time out with his girl who's an up and coming singer.

An hour long this is a fast moving and very violent film. I would have thought that some of the nastiness of this film would have been banned by the production code, clearly the rules were being ignored by some independent producers. This film hearkens back to the precode films of James Cagney, Paul Muni and Edward G Robinson with its on screen death toll. (Even by todays standards the film is some what nasty in its violence) Directed by a sure handed Leo Popkin, this film uses montages of stock footage and newspaper headlines to make you feel as though you're seeing much more than you really are. The paper dodge is as clichéd as you can get but it manages to stretch a meager budget into something many of the big studios would have been proud to release. Clearly the man knew how to stretch a dollar and make you believe you were actually seeing more than you were.

Far from perfect there are times when the budget shows in the use of of some stock sets. Also the cast is no always on the same level acting wise, but it doesn't really mater since the story moves things along so that you really don't care.

Yes this is a program B film, but at the same time it manages to be a breath of fresh air to anyone who's seen more than their share of B programmers.

Worth a look for anyone who wants to see a very good little action film. You may not love it but I'm pretty sure that if you take it on its own terms you'll come away liking it a great deal.

Ralph Cooper, Lawrence Criner and Maceo Sheffield are three gang leaders in Harlem vying for control of the jukebox business, but none of them had a flair for acting like a tough gang boss. As a result, I never did get involved with the goings on. I guess I am spoiled by portrayals by James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni and Humphrey Bogart in some of the mainstream crime movies of the 30's. This film has its fistfights, car chases and shootouts, and a love interest in Gladys Snyder, but it somehow left me cold.

This was a "race" film with an all black cast, intended for black audiences, and it's interesting to note that Ralph Cooper was often called "The Bronze Bogart" in ads. As tough guys, there's no comparison.

One of the possibly lesser known aspects of early to mid-20th century racism is "race" movies - movies made by African Americans largely for African-American audiences. I can't imagine what it would have been like when this was released in 1940 - about a month after Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar for "Gone With the Wind". For many people, this might have been their first, if not only, view of city life.

Although there probably wasn't much of a budget, this actually seems to make the most of what they to work with. It's a pretty good gangster movie. It's a chance to see life in Harlem just prior to WWII, and quite probably, one of the few chances to see these entertainers on film.

This is the story of an ambitious gangster who fights his way towards the top of the Harlem underworld who takes over, what appears to have been a lucrative business in jukeboxes. This isn't as violent as some of the Warner Brothers pre-code gangster movies (i.e., "The Public Enemy" or "Scarface"), but is fairly fast-paced and well worth watching. I'm glad TCM showed this rare gem.

Gang War (1940)

** (out of 4)

Another early film from the black cinema, this one directed by Leo C. Popkin. This is a gangster picture about two rival gangs fighting over a profitable juke joint. Once again this film features a very small budget since it would only be shown in black cinemas but the director and screenwriter hold back no punches and make a pretty good movie. The opening bar fight is terrific and there's some nice police chases and shootouts as well. The acting is quite poor and brings the film down a few notches but this one here is certainly worth checking out. The director went on to produce D.O.A. and star Ralph Cooper was billed as "The Dark Gable" or "Bronze Bogart".

This film is very enjoyable. I think anyone will enjoy it who sees it. This film is a gangster film and very entertaining. You would think your watching Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, John Garfield or Edward G. Robinson, but really its Ralph Cooper and Monte Hawley. Ralph Cooper, Reginald Fenderson and Monte Hawley were very popular in the Black cast films. They usually played hard-nose gangsters but with a weak heart for the women. They were great actors and very appreciated in the Black community. Their all forgotten, sadly since they were not Belafonte and Poitier, but Cooper, Fenderson, and Hawley was the first to show real dramatic acting and be in substantial roles made by blacks for black without Hollywood stereotypes but it seems your only remembered if you cross over which has a lot of missing figures from Black History because of that. Shouldn't we remember the ones who stayed stars within the Black race and helped the progress in Black Cinema who didn't need white acceptance or help? Black cast films like this were popular in the Black community, it gave Black people a break from the stereotypical roles in Hollywood. Ralph Cooper wrote, directed and starred in some of the best movies of the Black cast films. These films made you forget color and look at talent, the same way you would white actors/actresses. What he did do was appreciated. He was the son of Harlem. This film is about 60 minutes long but very jam-packed. Gorgeous, babyfaced black jean harlow look alike Gladys Snyder is regal and elegant in the movie. Anyone who wants to see what life was like in Harlem in the 1930s. This is one of them. The glamour, talent and beauty. This isn't some "B" movie. It's really action-packed with non-stop entertainment.