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A Rage in Harlem (1991)

Director: Bill Duke

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From Time Out Film Guide

Duke's snappy, stylish, relentlessly pacy comedy-thriller, lighter than Chester Himes' source novel, is mostly very enjoyable. It charts the farcical situation that develops when Imabelle (Givens) arrives in mid-'50s Harlem with bullion stolen by her presumed-dead lover Slim (Djola). Hoping to do a deal with fence Easy Money (Glover) and needing a hideaway, she moves in with naive, pious undertaker's assistant Jackson (Whitaker), who reluctantly enlists the help of his criminal brother Goldy (Hines) when Slim turns up to regain both loot and Imabelle. The scene is thus set for funny, bloody intrigue involving hoodlums, cops, club-owners, and other cartoon-thin inhabitants of an improbably colourful Harlem; but for all the explicit violence, the film is less gritty noir than ebullient, good-natured fantasy.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Bill Duke

Producer: Stephen Woolley, Kerry Boyle

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines, Robin Givens, Zakes Mokae, Danny Glover, Badja Djola, John Toles-Bey, Screamin' Jay Hawkins full cast

Genre(s): Thrillers

Duration: 115 mins


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