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9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Fun Entertainment, not for Kids Jun 14, 2005
By Mike
This is a nice period film in the "Cotton comes to Harlem" style. It's a kind of 50's gangster action comedy, with a southern twist. The film has high quality production values, and Danny Glover, Robin Givens, Forrest Whitaker, and Gregory Hines all turn in great performances. As an added bonus,when you see Robin Givens in that Red Dress (They had to sew it on her for the movie), you'll finally understand Mike Tysons' infatuation with her. So for some good entertainment rent this film. P.S. Watch out for the line "Pop goes the Weasel."
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Freshen up your Mothergoose, or you'll fall with Humpddy Aug 09, 2009
By knobnoter
"Marcia K. Carson"
I was already familar with the movie, and loved it so much had hunted for 15 years for it. As soon as I saw it on Amazon I said "Pop goes the Weezel. The charactors were as refreshing as I remembered. Who doesn't want to get away free with a trunk full of gold. Robin Givens, as Amabelle was excellent, surely they had to paint her in those skin-tight outfits. My granddaughter who wants to be a designer was in heaven with each new outfit she worn. Her character was more fitting as Jackson's girl(Forrest Whitaker)than as the girlfriend of the gangster, the nursey rhyme spitting thug. I think he had some Mommy issues. Maybe he was molesterd as a child when his mama left him in daycare. Jackson is the nerd in everybody's family, with those large nerdy glasses. He is the lovable uncle figure that you don't mind leaving your kids with. His brother Sherman with that sexy side part in his hair(Gregory Hines) is another story, he played his part so well, I couldn't leave my child with him, he would sale her a ticket to heaven within 5-minutes. Although a lovable character, he comes across as wanting to be rich but not wanting to work for it. He's the family member who is always reaching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, instead of putting in a honest days work. He did have one good quality-he valued his friends. From the fumbling keystone cops, to the idiot funeral director, and his horney disrespetful workers, this movie with Danny Glover surely was a roller coaster ride; they not only out ran the law, out smarted the mob, out shot the competition, but they proved to Hollywood that Black actors can ACT all the way to the bank.
6 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Robin Givins is a star! Aug 13, 2005
By Synthia
"Synthia"
I was in college when this came out and Robin's character taught me everything I needed about being sultry.
She is a bad ass bitch in the movie, in the vein of a Pam Grier character. The setting is Harlem, where only the feisty, the sly, and those with panache survive. Robin's portrayal of Immabel as slow-slurring, smooth as butter, carefree but calculating seductress is deftly-done.
She carries the movie well and it's hard to take your eyes off her. This is crucial, because if Immabel wasn't captivating the movie would fall flat. All the drama hinges on the girl and the gold.
There is some annoying, raunchy comedy from some satellite undertakers in the movie. But that's to entertain the droll.
Mostly, this movie is a bodacious gangster caper made lovable by the Harlem bravado and attitude turned in by actors Givens, Badja Djola, Danny Glover, Gregory Hines, et al.
Badja, as Robin's boyfriend, plays a tough as nails, no-mercy crime boss and is purely riveting in his hard-core masculine portrayal. He will make you quake.
Glover gives his best performance ever because we rarely get to see him play a bad ass and he was goood at it! The tension between him and Badja .. and Givens was palpable.
Whitaker was OK too.
The directing by Bill Duke is outstanding. The style and atmosphere he creates in the movie is perfect. He is responsible for making sure Robin comes off as the siren she is because the camera angles shoot her as a goddess.
Lastly, I'm a huge Robin Givens fan. She was on her way to becoming a topshelf star when Rage in Harlem came out and then was trailed by Boomerang a year later. (She gives another kick ass performance in that).
Why Halle blew up and Robin didn't is perplexing. In everything I've seen Robin in, including Brewster's Place, she's been outstanding. What a beautiful, intelligent, confident chocolate specimen! She was blackballed for no good reason and we definitely need to see her more.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Gritty, witty, brillian! Dec 09, 2011
By Sarah
Brilliant! This is one of the very few instances where I enjoyed the film as much as the book. And not because the film is very true to the book (which, in any case, it is), but because the film manages to find its own personality.
The setting is simply gorgeous. The rendering of Fifties Harlem is sumptuous, very warm in some places, very hard in others (the emotional use of colour is superbly done), with all a crew of characters that even appearing very shortly, gives a strong impression of the place and the time.
The story revolves around a chest of gold. People find it and lose it, people kill and die for it. Deceit is the currency for everyone. Well, for everyone but Jackson, whose candid innocence and unwavering faith in his love and his Imabelle brings some light in what's basically a very dark tale. And this is true even with all the humor and the wit which is indeed in the story. There's violence here, there's bad things happening, but there's tenderness too, and caring, and straightforward humour.
The fast pace, the witty dialogues, the honest rendering of human flaws and strength reminded me a lot of the book, even if some of the dynamics are different. Still I enjoyed what's new in the film as much as I enjoyed everything in the book. One of the new ideas I particularly enjoyed is the larger importance of Imabelle character inside the story. She has a larger part, her story starts first and is presented in more detailed, and she comes across as an exceptionally hard-boiled, and still very vulnerable characters. I loved her.
I also enjoyed very much the dynamics between the two brothers, Jackson and Goldy. As in the book, Jackson is a hard character to handle because he's so incredibly naïf in a world which is just the opposite. In the book this was made believable by the surrealism of many situations. Here, it is made believable by the tight dynamics between the two brothers who are so different, and still so similar. Because even if Jackson is so unbelievably good, and Goldy is so incredibly resourceful and rootless, there's some of the one in the other and vice versa.
I enjoyed it from the first to the last minute.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
UNUSUAL CHARACTERS MAKE THIS A UNIQUE, ENTERTAINING EXPERIENCE Sep 01, 2011
By Roy Clark
"rclarknv"
RAGE IN HARLEM is about the funniest 'caper' movie I've seen. Every character is portrayed in depth and is delightful in their avarice, craftiness, violence, appetites, humanity and a lot more to make a cast of unforgettable quirky people. Even though not all make it through the carnage. Bloody yes, but funny and at times poignant too.
The actors are familiar stars, back when abit younger (produced in 1991). But their talent is very evident here, shown through every twist and tumble of the cliff-hangers throughout the film. And the print is fine indeed; along with all production values. Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, Robin Givens and Gregory Hines all give their all; everything, action, bawdy humor, music, all shine through.
If this fine flick does it for you, do try another cross-over classic Devil in A Blue Dress Both are original, high-energy and wonderful productions. In Devil in a Blue Dress, Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle are absolutely brilliant! (there's humor; but it's still an engrossing mystery, with sharp depictions of LA post-World War II).
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