'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!
Review of Black Caesar
