I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

A lousy action film starring Fred Williamson. He's back as the "Black Godfather." This time he's trying to outwit a crooked DA and mend the broken relationship with his father (Julius Harris). It's pretty dull and, as directed by Larry Cohen, very badly put together. The editing is atrocious and Cohen's script is alternately tough and sappy. The title is also somewhat misleading since very little action even takes place in Harlem. Williamson has presence but not much acting talent. Classy Harris saves the film from being a total debacle. D'Urville Martin is fine as one of Williamson's cronies turned priest and Margaret Avery is "Sister Jennifer," who for some reason appears to be in a walking coma.

The beginning of this sequel to BLACK CAESAR reminds me a lot of the old movie serials. At the beginning of each serial episode, they show part of the previous episode and in some cases they actually changed what happened in the previous episode! I remember seeing SPY SMASHER a long time ago and in several scenes he appeared to die--yet when they showed the following episode he actually didn't die after all! Kids loved these films so most didn't question these inconsistencies. Well, the same thing happened following BLACK CAESAR. Fred Williamson's character (Tommy Gibbs) is left dying and beaten by teens at the end of the film. Now in HELL UP IN HARLEM you see many of the same scenes from the end of BLACK CAESAR--but this time there is no dying scene where the man is pummeled by teens and he is not all alone. Instead, Gibbs' father shows up to save him along with a posse of friends--even though this clearly is NOT how the previous film ended and the father (Julius Harris) is a very different character than he was in the previous film. These sort of inconsistencies about in the movie and I guess the character was too good and American-International Pictures decided to bring him back regardless of whether or not it made much sense. In this film, Tommy is a bit different than the last film. In BLACK CAESAR, Tommy was 100% unlikable and bad--a truly despicable guy. However, here in HELL he's more like a crusader as he fights corrupt government officials and mobsters. While some of this action is pretty good, the latter portion of the film is pretty silly even by Blaxploitation movie standards. That's because Tommy returns from an inexplicable retirement in LA and takes on the entire mob all by himself!! And, in many instances, he kills baddies in front of huge crowds and yet he always is able to escape unharmed!! In the final scene, the leader of the mob catches him at point blank range--yet the gun somehow miraculously jams! These scenes just don't look thought out and seem a bit sloppy--though exciting on a very basic level. In many ways, this sequel and the ridiculous way the guy takes on the mob single-handedly reminds me of SHAFT'S BIG SCORE--another sub-par sequel to an excellent Blaxploitation film. Overall, this is an okay film--neither as original or clever as the original and a film that seems like it's mostly action and very little plot--it's simply mindless brain candy.By the way, at one point the film cuts to a scene on an island and the caption reads "an island off the Florida Keys". Well, I've been to the Keys and they are some of the flattest islands on the planet. Yet, oddly, this island is very, very hilly and there isn't a palm tree in sight!!

Hell up in Harlem is one hell of those classic blaxploitation film. Too true though, 'cos I got this one on tape.This tells the story of Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson), the Black Caesar of New York's underworld who suffers a brutal blow when he gets shot in the streets courtesy of crooked New York cops trying to put an end to his reign of private organisation.One thing for sure, he gets hold of the book of ledgers, names of corrupt people responsible for screwing around the neighbourhood making people lives hell in New York City.. Tommy is a man who won't go down in a fight, in fact he goes around bumping off drug suppliers, gangs, corrupt lawyers, etc who causes trouble in and around New York's underworld...Also his main problem is another crooked officer James DiAngelo who seems determined to stop Tommy Gibbs from ruining his business.When it all grinds down to the nitty-gritty Tommy takes another shot to finish those where he started and restore peace to New York's underworld.This film made me laugh in a few parts, basically it's all to do with one man running his organisation in order to bring the bad guys who screwing up New York's neighbourhood.Great songs from Edwin Starr who also sings the theme tune to the film..It's worth a watch which Fred Williamson one of the stars who still makes his name as one of the classic names in blaxploitation films to date..If you ever get to see Hell up in Harlem, you'll see how the Big Boss takes care of the business.. You catch me drift..?

Fun sequel takes off where Black Caesar took off...lots of violence...soul soundtrack not as good as James Brown's work on Black Caesar, but passable. Overall this movie has an even more fantastic plot than the first but is still basically enjoyable...particularly the island ambush scene and the chase in which Williamson runs after his opponent, who boards an airplane to L.A. from New York...Fred doesn't sweat it and gets a flight that just happens to leave a few minutes after the first gets off. We see scenes of the two men in planes...upon landing, at the same time, Williamson finds his quarry in a crowded airport and picks up where he left off in New York. As I said, ridiculous, but fun.