''Hell Up in Harlem'' is a 1973

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president ...

American neo-noir film, starring Fred Williamson and

Gloria Hendry Gloria Hendry (born March 3, 1949) is an American actress and former model. Hendry is best known for her roles in films from the 1970s, most notably: portraying Rosie Carver in 1973's James Bond film '' Live and Let Die''; and Helen Bradley i ...

. Written and directed by

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

, it is a sequel to the film '' Black Caesar''. The film's soundtrack was recorded by

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one ...

and released by

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

in January 1974.

Plot

Having survived the assassination attempt at the end of '' Black Caesar'', Tommy Gibbs takes on corrupt New York District Attorney DiAngelo, who had sought to jail Gibbs and his father, Papa Gibbs, in order to monopolize the illicit drug trade. Gibbs decides to eliminate drug pushing from the streets of Harlem, while continuing to carry out his other illicit enterprises. Gibbs falls in love with Sister Jennifer (

Margaret Avery Margaret Avery (born April 15, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977), and '' ...

), a woman who works with Reverend Rufus, a former pimp who has found a religious calling. Gibbs and his father have a falling out after Gibbs is told by his enforcer, Zach, that his father ordered the death of Gibbs' ex-wife, Helen. Gibbs and Jennifer move to Los Angeles, leaving Papa Gibbs in charge of the Harlem territory. It is later revealed that Zach himself killed Helen as part of a move to take over the territory, with the assistance of DiAngelo. Gibbs defeats hit men sent to take him out in Los Angeles, while Papa dies from a heart attack while fighting Zach. Knowing that DiAngelo will be having the New York airports and roads watched, Gibbs flies in to Philadelphia, and then enters New York City on foot in order to carry out a personal war against Zach and DiAngelo.

Cast

* Fred Williamson as Tommy Gibbs *

Julius Harris Julius W. Harris (August 17, 1923 – October 17, 2004) was an American actor who appeared in more than 70 movies and numerous television series in a career that spanned four decades. Harris is best known for his roles in 1970s films such as '' ...

as Papa Gibbs *

as Helen Bradley-Washington *

as Sister Jennifer *

D'Urville Martin D'Urville Martin (February 11, 1939 – May 28, 1984) was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become ''All in the F ...

as Reverend Rufus * Tony King as Zach * Gerald Gordon as DiAngelo * Bobby Ramsen as Joe Frankfurter * James Dixon as "Irish" Bryant * Esther Sutherland as The Cook * Charles MacGuire as Charles MacGregor

Release on DVD & HD

* In 2001 it was released on DVD. * In 2010 it was digitized in High Definition (1080i) and broadcast on MGMHD.

References

External links

* * * * {{Larry Cohen 1973 films 1970s action thriller films American International Pictures films Blaxploitation films Films set in Harlem Films set in New York City American independent films American sequel films 1970s crime action films American crime action films Films directed by Larry Cohen American action thriller films Films about African-American organized crime American neo-noir films 1973 drama films Films with screenplays by Larry Cohen 1970s English-language films 1970s American films

Plot

Cast

Release on DVD & HD

See also

References

External links