A Rage in Harlem (1991)

75% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
53% of users liked it
(3,114 ratings)

Bill Duke directs this quirky film adaptation of Chester Himes' crime novel -- a heavily plotted gangster tale with a sweet love story hidden underneath. The film begins in Natchez, Mississippi in 1956. During a police shoot-out with the mob leader Slim's (Badja Djola) gang, Slim's moll Imabelle… More Bill Duke directs this quirky film adaptation of Chester Himes' crime novel -- a heavily plotted gangster tale with a sweet love story hidden underneath. The film begins in Natchez, Mississippi in 1956. During a police shoot-out with the mob leader Slim's (Badja Djola) gang, Slim's moll Imabelle (Robin Givens) takes off with a cadre of stolen gold. As a result, Imabelle is chased by Slim's mob from Mississippi to New York. By the time she reaches Harlem, she is broke and has to figure out a way to ditch the trunk full of gold. She finds herself at the annual Undertaker's Ball, where she sees the big and dumb Jackson (Forest Whitaker), a bumbling undertaker's assistant. She spots Jackson as a mark that she can use as a cover and latches onto him immediately. She moves in with him to hide out, but Imabelle becomes taken with his innocence. For his part, Jackson falls head over heels in love with her. But the Mississippi mob catches up with her and takes her away. Jackson calls in his street-wise brother Goldy (Gregory Hines) to help him rescue Imabelle. Jackson fears that Imabelle has been kidnapped. But Goldy knows better -- he still agrees to help him but Goldy wants the gold for himself. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Bill Duke
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: May 3, 1991 Wide
On DVD: Sep 2, 2003
Studio: HBO Video

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
It's hard to believe but this film offered the first to feature a black glamorous woman--Robin Givens--since Diana Ross's ill-fated Mahogany.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Strong adaptation of Chester Himes' pulp thriller
Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Forgoes good taste in the name of exuberant entertainment.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Surprisingly funny

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cassandra M

(Includes one minor spoiler, but it's unrelated to the plot and really more of a recommendation.) Surprised to see so few votes and comments for A Rage in Harlem - it was a modest commercial hit in Britain, so perhaps the all-black casting and setting just didn't play… More
(Includes one minor spoiler, but it's unrelated to the plot and really more of a recommendation.) Surprised to see so few votes and comments for A Rage in Harlem - it was a modest commercial hit in Britain, so perhaps the all-black casting and setting just didn't play Peoria. The tone of this stylish, good-looking period crime adventure swings wildly between brutal, raunchy, tragic and comic, but a clever, funny script and likeable characters - especially Gregory Hines's big-hearted wiseguy Goldy, but also several delightfully written minor roles - maintain attention and sympathy throughout what could otherwise have been a bumpy ride. It's an emotionally engaging film, much more character-driven than the average urban thriller of the 1990s. Its purely incidental pleasures are many, topped by a splendid musical treat in the shape of cult R 'n' B hero Screamin' Jay Hawkins, giving a no-holds-barred performance of his voodoo classic I Put a Spell on You at the Harlem Undertakers' Ball. If you have a taste for the old school of black show business, this sequence will have you holding up the rest of the picture until you've given Screamin' Jay an encore. Thrills, laughs, and pathos, dished up with verve and heart, make a film that many of us still remember very affectionately.
xGary X

Average comic thriller interesting only for it's unusual adaptation of the book upon it was based, as it concentrates on the crooks rather than the cops.

Cast

            Forest Whitaker as Jackson

            Gregory Hines as Goldy

            Robin Givens as Imabelle

            Zakes Mokae as Big Kathy

            Danny Glover as Easy-Money

            Badja Djola as Slim

            Ron Taylor as Hank

            Willard E. Pugh as Claude X

            Jack Beatty as Sheriff

            John Toles-Bey as Jodie

            Arthur Burghardt as Bo

            T.K. Carter as Smitty

            Tyler Collins as Teena

            James Copeland as Jailer

            Leslie Dockery as Chorus Dancer

            Anthonia Dotson as 1st Female Mourner

            Clebert Ford as Porter

            Edgar Godineaux Jr. as Chorus Dancer

            Birdie M. Hale as 1st Domestic

            Kimberly Hester as Chorus Dancer

            Leonard Jackson as Mr. Clay

            Helen Martin as Mrs. Canfield

            Olivette Miller-Briggs as 2nd Domestic

            Hajna O. Moss as Chorus Dancer

            Tasha O'Bryant as Minna

            Joni Palmer as Chorus Dancer

            John Parks as Chorus Dancer

            Stack Pierce as Coffin Ed

            Ernest Perry Jr. as Jackie

            Wendell Pierce as Louis

            Herbert Rawlins as Chorus Dancer

            Romelle Reaux as Chorus Dancer

            Reynaldo Rey as Blind Man

            Eugene Robinson Jr. as Henchman

            Mike Roscoe as Chorus Dancer

            Kevin Ruthven as Bus Driver

            William L. Schwarber as Goon

            Kiki Sheppard
            
            Wynonna Smith as Chorus Dancer

            James Spinks as Bartender

            Cornelius Stafford as Weasel

            Tracy A. Taylor as Skanky Whore

            Kemper Sam Williams Jr. as Gus Parsons

            Beatrice Winde as Clerk

            Screamin' Jay Hawkins as Himself

            John Seitz as Lester Bunton

            Aleta Helena Chappelle
            
            George Wallace (II) as Grave Digger

            John W. Hardy as Reverend Gaines

            Samm-Art Williams
            
See full cast