Movie Review: Hell Up in Harlem (1973)

I was pretty disappointed in this movie, and there are a number of reasons why. Larry Cohen’s a good filmmaker. I enjoyed The Black Godfather, even if I don’t remember it too well. Fred Williamson is awesome. And I love these film soundtracks down by funk or soul artists.

But this movie just isn’t that good. The first half is promising, but Fred Williamson is never as awesome as he was in The Black Godfather or other films I’ve seen him in.

But perhaps most disappointingly, I found the Edwin Starr soundtrack to be pretty lackluster. I suppose that shouldn’t come as a shock given that Starr is sort of a one-hit wonder and some of these other blaxploitation films had soundtracks by legends such as James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, or Curtis Mayfield.

But the biggest problem here is that the film really meanders in the second half. Once Gloria Hendry is killed, it goes downhill.

I really enjoyed Gloria Hendry here, and that was a big shock, since I think her performance in Live and Let Die may make her my least favourite Bond girl.

At any rate, the movie left a lot to be desired.

Rating: 4/10