In a sentenceForest Whitaker seems far too nice to be left unsupervised in this much criminal company
Jackson (Forest Whitaker), Goldy (Gregory Hines) and Imabelle (Robin Givens) have twenty-four hours to outrun the law, outsmart the mob and outshoot the competition. Easy Money (Danny Glover), Gus Parsons (Samm-Art Williams) and Big Kathy (Zakes Mokae) are also part of the tangle, alongside Smitty (T. K. Carter) and Coffin Ed (Stack Pierce). Staying clear of the police is only part of the task: there are also mobsters and armed competitors to contend with, and the deadline leaves little room for delay.
Bill Duke’s crime comedy earns its laughs chiefly through a cast worth spending time with. The violence sometimes spoils the fun, but Forest Whitaker and Robin Givens give this uneven scramble enough charm to recommend.
Bill Duke’s A Rage in Harlem is an enjoyable crime comedy whose cast makes a persuasive case for forgiving its unevenness. John Toles-Bey and Bobby Crawford adapt a novel by Chester Himes, and the film makes room for broad humour alongside some decidedly bloody business. The difficulty is deciding how lightly to take the latter. Across 115 minutes, the actors repeatedly win us back, although the film asks them to rescue more jokes than it should.
Forest Whitaker plays Jackson with a gentleness that makes the surrounding criminal company seem less inviting. We warmed to him almost at once, because he gives this crowded film somebody whose welfare matters. His charm does not feel like a demand for our approval, and he holds our attention without competing for the biggest effect. That steadiness is useful when so much else is pressing for a laugh or a jolt.
Robin Givens is equally valuable as Imabelle, though her assurance creates a different pleasure. She seems comfortable with the film’s unruliness, and her control keeps the performance from disappearing into it. Gregory Hines as Goldy and Danny Glover as Easy Money help make this a cast we are happy to spend time with. Their appeal carries stretches in which the writing keeps everybody busy without finding much comic surprise.
Toyomichi Kurita’s cinematography and Steven Legler’s production design give the film a polish that helps its busy criminal world hold together. There is care in the look, even when the humour gets coarse. Their work makes the film agreeable to watch without making the people seem respectable. That visual assurance is a substantial virtue, though it can only do so much for a joke that has already worn thin.
Curtiss Clayton’s editing gives the film a briskness we mostly enjoy, though speed cannot repair humour that wears thin. Elmer Bernstein’s score makes less of an impression than the actors, who provide most of the warmth. We would welcome more room for them to let a moment settle. The rush is often enjoyable, but weaker stretches would benefit from less insistence on keeping everything lively.
The bloodshed presents a harder problem than an uneven run of jokes. A crime comedy can be nasty without losing its audience, but it needs some consistency about how much a wound is meant to matter. Here the violence sometimes feels excessive for the amusement it produces. Bill Duke gets such appealing work from the cast that the harsher passages can feel like an interruption, and the humour is not always strong enough to recover.
Against the standards of a comic thriller, this is a good evening with some awkward stretches, carried by people who know how to hold a screen. We would recommend it to anyone already fond of the genre, rather than expect it to convert somebody who dislikes jokes mixed with blood. Go for Forest Whitaker and Robin Givens, and allow for a few laughs that never arrive.
The reviews lean modestly positive on A Rage in Harlem, with praise clustering around its cast and brisk comic-thriller approach. Supporters find it stylish, fast-moving and funny, with enough energy to make its shifts between crime and comedy entertaining. Forest Whitaker’s charm and Robin Givens’ assured performance draw particular approval. Even the less enthusiastic reviews find something to enjoy in the acting, making the cast the clearest point of agreement.
The spread is wide, however, and the balance of humour and violence divides critics. Two favourable reviews note that the adaptation softens the harsher tone of Chester Himes’ novel. Variety finds the bloodshed excessive and the humour wearing thin, though it credits the cast with keeping the film watchable. Empire is more dismissive, finding a disappointing comic thriller despite Whitaker’s endearing performance and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s stage appearance.
Berry describes the film as a stylish, fast-moving and often humorous thriller. She praises the enjoyable cast, particularly Forest Whitaker’s charming performance.
Read the full review →Turan finds the film exuberant and entertaining, while noting that it softens the source novel’s harsher vision. He especially praises Robin Givens’ lusty, controlled performance as Imabelle.
Read the full review →The critic finds the film mostly enjoyable, praising its snappy, stylish, fast-paced comedy-thriller approach. They note it is lighter in tone than Chester Himes’ source novel.
Read the full review →The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the accessible text.
Read the full review →The review finds the mix of comedy and violence dubious, though the fine cast keeps the film watchable. It praises Robin Givens’s assured screen presence while criticizing the excessive bloodshed and humor that wears thin.
Read the full review →Errigo finds the film a tawdry, disappointing comic thriller that falls short of its promise. She singles out Forest Whitaker’s endearing performance and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s stage appearance as bright spots.
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