Black Caesar (1973)

The Godfather of Harlem

Cast:

Fred "The Hammer was in Warriors of the Wastleand" Williamson is Tommy Gibbs
Gloria Hendry is Helen
Art Lund is McKinney
D'Urville Martin is Reverend Rufus
Julius Harris is Mr. Gibbs

What the Box Says:

Fred Williamson is "imposing, tough and unflappable" (The New York Times) as a street kid who muscles his way into the big-time mob racket in this super-slick crime drama that became the smashhit of its genre and spawned a successful sequel (Hell Up In Harlem). Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) has always had it tough. Growing up on the streets without a father and trying to make his mother proud, Tommy resorts to running "errands" for The Man. But when a crooked cop beats him up, Tommy realizes there's a better way to live: by making The Man deliver for him! Infiltratingandthen destroyingthe infamous Cardoza family, Tommy takes over Manhattan as the first black Godfather and puts the squeeze on anyone who dares to get in his wayincluding the crooked cop! But as he tightens his grip on others, he loses his hold on the most important things in his own life, making him the vulnerable target of every cutthroat gangster who ever dreamt of ruling an empire!

Plot:

September 1953, Tommy Gibbs, a young shoeshine boy, manages to stall a guy long enough for him to be capped by a hit-man. Later, Tommy is given an envelope by the hit-man.

In a rundown apartment, Tommy delivers the envelope to McKinney, a crooked cop. He claims the boy shorted him and proceeds to baton whip the kid.

Hospital, Tommy has his leg broken. He wants his friend, Brain, Joe to stay in school to handle his money.

1965, in a barbershop, Tommy who grew into Fred “The Hammer” Williamson. He promptly drops the barber’s customer.

Later, Tommy visits Cardoza who put the hit on the one guy. The mob boss refuses to hire him. Tommy just wants a single block in Harlem to run.

Let the funky montage ensue. Fred “The Hammer” Williamson starts taking care of business and putting his empire together: wheelin’ and dealin’. Reverend Rufus offers to launder the money to buy business. They discuss getting McKinney’s books. Accounting fu.

Tommy guns down the guys at a night club to steal the ledgers. Afterwards, he takes his girlfriend, Helen, home.

Tommy and Brain will use the money from the empire to improve the neighborhoods in Harlem. Tommy meets with Captain McKinney who realizes that he lost the ledgers.

He goes by Alfred Coleman’s apartment and buys his place. In the morning, the maid greets him. It is his momma. She refuses to work for him. Tommy even will give her the place.

It is time to Pah-Tayyyyyyyyyyyy. Dancing to James Brown…

Reverend Rufus talks with Tommy’s mother.

Later, Tommy meets with Cardoza and wants him to be the face of the business. The “Hammer” guys eliminate Cardoza’s guards. He’ll let the mob boss have a weekly cut and retire from NYC.

In California, Cardoza is chilling with his 2 brothers. Things look good for the barbecue until Tommy’s men storm the mansion and kill them.

Captain McKinney has Tommy brought in about Cardoza’s death. But, Tommy has an alibi. The good captain isn’t too happy when he learns the Syndicate is letting Tommy in. The Dons arrive to let McKinney know. Tommy will run Harlem but not handle drugs.

Tommy and Helen are together. She isn’t in the mood. Tommy is and roughs her up some.

Reverend Rufus meets Mr. Gibbs, Tommy’s dad. The neighborhood loves Tommy. Rufus tries talking Gibbs to leave without meeting Tommy. At the ruins of Tommy’s apartment, Tommy pulls out a gun. He is angry that his dad left his mother when he was a kid. Gibbs reveals that he wasn’t legally married to his mother. Tommy makes him leave or else.

Later, Tommy keeps drugs from being sold in Harlem. Trying to give a present to Helen, she refuses.

Tommy expects that someone is going to try to attack him and has muscle brought in from out of town. Tommy sends Brain to take Helen to California to record an album.

In a cemetery, Reverend Rufus prays for Tommy’s mom who has just died. Mr. Gibbs comes by to pay his respects.

Tommy runs into Coleman’s wife. She claims that Joe and Helen are getting it on in California.

Jealous Tommy finds Helen and Brain in robes. Tommy tosses Brain down the stairs and around the house. Brain accuses Tommy of being a sell-out.

Captain McKinney and Coleman discuss that Tommy has the ledgers. They plan to go after his associates.

Montage, Tommy’s men are gunned down to a funky montage.

Captain McKinney wants Helen to go after Tommy else he’ll take care of Joe.

Helen visits Tommy. Let the lovin’ ensue. In the afterglow, Helen manages to get the key.

Coleman calls McKinney and is going after the ledges. McKinney decides it is time to eliminate Tommy.

On the street, Tommy is shot. No one tries to help the staggering Tommy. Elsewhere, McKinney learns that Tommy was only flesh-wounded. Tommy takes a cab to get away. The obligatory car chase ensues. Goons try to catch with Tommy’s ride, however he gets away. Fred “The Hammer” Williamson uses his necktie to garrote one of the goons.

Rufus’s church, Tommy staggers inside. He can’t go to the hospital. Rufus starts praying for Tommy to be healed. Tommy gets away

At Helen and Joe’s place, Tommy tries calling. Helen hangs up on him. Trying again, he gets a hold of Joe. Joe leaves to help Tommy.

At the office, McKinney kills Coleman.

Helen won’t tell Joe what she did.

Tommy gets to the office building.

McKinney catches Joe. Before revealing how Helen set Tommy up, the crooked police captain shoots Joe.

Tommy gets to the building. Discovering Coleman’s body, McKinney beats with the heavily injured Tommy. McKinney has a gun drawn and forces Tommy to shine his shoes. However, Tommy gets the drop on McKinney and uses the shoeshine box to bludgeon him. Tommy finishes McKinney off by pistol-whipping him. Smearing black shoe polish on the crying McKinney. Flashback to McKinney beating Tommy as a kid.

Tommy takes the ledgers and hobbles away. Finding Joe’s corpse, he is sorry for him dying. Tommy heads to the subway.

Reaching the ruined apartment, a bunch of teens severely beats him. They take his watch but leave the ledgers behind.

What I say:

Blaxsploitation is more than just the Shaft movies:Shaft, Shaft's Big Score, and Shaft in Africa. While, Richard Roundtree is one of the most recognized Blaxsploitation stars and character actors how he pops up in so many other movies like Maniac Cop. However, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is another of the mega-stars along with the ultra "Foxy" Pam Grier as some of greatest action stars from the early 1970s.

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson deserves to have his nickname given with his name especially since he he always is such a bad man like in Warriors of the Wastleand. We have to excuse Fist of Fear, Touch of Death. I doubt he was involved in editting or writing such a disaster that ridiculed him. Anyways, I have no doubts thathe could thrash me twice a day and 3 times on Sunday...

Larry Cohen directed the Stuff. Strangely, the man has directed and written a wide variety of low budget movies including Q - Winged Serpent, Return to Salem’s Lot, Maniac Cop, and Island of the Alive trilogy besides his epic killer desert opus(You have no idea how long I've wanted to use the phrase killer dessert opus). However, he has quite a divided audience between those that really like his stuff or despise it.

We all know who the hero of the movie is: Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. Granted even with all the criminal things he does, and some are pretty reprehensible. He still is the hero compared to the racist crooked cop, McKinney. Using most of the illegal profits to be laundered into improving Harlem and even offering not to distribute narcotics in Harlem, show how Williamson is using crime to help improve the community. Still with the gang fights and the rest of his criminal enterprises, he must somehow suffer for his crimes and for what he has done. The ending with him being beaten by the gang of teens is supposed to have us wonder if he lived or died.

Black Caesar is a remake of the 1930s Little Caesar about the rise of a low level hoodlum to the high ranks of organized crime. That movie starred Edward G. Robinson. Picturing a remake is one thing but having Fred "The Hammer" Williamson in the Edward G. Robinson role is kind of hard to grasp. Fred comes across as very physical. The few Robinson movies I remember watching have him more as a Big Boss with repeatedly saying "Myawwwwwww, see...." In fact, he did it so much that it was used in C.O.P.S. by the animated Big Boss.

Larry Cohen can create characters that are unlike typical movie characters. They seem to be more flawed, realistic. Black Caesar is almost Shakespearean in its scope of one man who rises to the top by using guile and anger. As Fred's Tommy Gibb becomes more powerful, he begins to inadvertently alienate everyone around him. His mother refuses to accept the penthouse he buys for her. Manages to destroy ever bit of love his wife had for him which drives her into having an affair with his best friend.

For the most part, the action is realistic and brutal. I may love truly insane ninja fights but that isn't in Black Caesar. Fred Williamson whaling on someone ought to have been filmed in 3-D. However, I do have some complaints. After Fred is shot near the end when he wanders around the city, it does seem to run long. It looks like he was shot in the morning and staggers around the city until very late in the afternoon.

The 1970s Blaxsploitation movie must be mentioned for its soundtrack. While Shaft and Truck Turner are that memorable. Black Caesar is remembered for the Godfather of Soul, the legendary James Brown. He may not have been living in America or anywhere on the world to the degree he was in Rocky 4. "Poppa's got a brand new bag because he's a sex machine.."

If you're craving more Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as Black Caesar, don't forget the sequel, Hell Up in Harlem.

Quotable Dialogue
"Do you know a man's beard keeps growing even after he's dead?"
"Inspire me..."
"Sauce looks like it needs a little more meat."
Morals of the Story
Trash can lids make handy shields.
Tommy guns were routinely used in 1960s mob gunfights.
Dead bodies should be dumped in swimming pools.
Drive-by shootings from horse and buggies are kewl.
Honking your car horn allows you right of way on the sidewalk.