A Rage in Harlem (1991)

I am totally surprised at the low rating of this film.I read numerous critic reviews to find that it was well received.I have a fondness for offbeat films and find myself at odds with critical reviews most of the time but in this case we choose to agree.I signed up to counter the one star rating left by the person who was afraid of what his girlfriend would think of him for taking her on a date to see this movie.(jeez)About the film...I was lucky enough to stumble across a print a while back,I was always a fan of "Cotten come to Harlem "and found this film much more enjoyable due to it's superb direction,well made sets and an excellent cast.The movie starts with a bang and never lets up.At times you will cringe and laugh at the same time,you get to see a famous blues player perform in a nightclub(EXCELLENT)and of course the best shot of Robin Given's butt ever committed to film.I loved it!!!!

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.

I think this is an underrated classic. A story of gold,double-cross,love,revenge and death all served up with great humour nicely by the main characters. The acting is great especially Forest Whittaker as the loser who eventually comes good. Robin Givens is superb and sexy in this role as she steals the gold from her partners and goes on the run. The late great Gregory Hines is also in top form as Whittaker's brother who is only interested in the gold at first. Badja Djola plays a memorably vicious villain and Danny Glover pops up as a rival gangster who "had another dream" about Givens - much to the fury of Djola. This film has some great comic moments. The music score by Elmer Bernstein is also superb.

Nasty, unforgiving, unrelenting blood sport. I watch war movies and don't bat an eye except for Saving Private Ryan, but this is downright sickening. I went because I liked Forrest Whittaker, but it was so savage, so sick with violence just for violent's sake that I was shocked. I also took a date and it was lucky that we had seen other movies together because she would have had real doubts about me if this was my kind of movie. The movie reminded me of news stories about people killing puppies and torturing cats. I still have nightmares about this movie. The reviewer for the Washington Post at the time called it an urban comedy. If this is his version of a comedy, I never want to see another one.