1973 · blaxploitation · gangster · james-brown
Black Caesar
Directed by Larry Cohen1h 35m1973
Raised in Harlem, Tommy Gibbs becomes a successful mob boss but he clashes with the rival Mafia and his old enemy, dirty cop McKinney.
Our read: Black Caesar (1973) reads as a sombre, breathless, grounded blaxploitation · gangster · james-brown entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook.
Sombre, breathless, measured blaxploitation / gangster, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, cold.
- sombre
- brisk
- intense
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Availability in the UK · via JustWatch
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How Black Caesar feels to watch.
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“You want gritty 70s blaxploitation about a Harlem crime boss rising and clashing with the Mafia.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if period blaxploitation violence or dated style will put you off.
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