A Rage in Harlem

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A Rage in Harlem

R,

1991,

1h 48m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

68%

37 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

After her gangster boyfriend, Slim (Badja Djola), has a shootout with the police, Imabelle (Robin Givens) flees Natchez, Miss., with his stolen gold. She ends up in New York with Slim's gang in pursuit. In Harlem, she latches on to an innocent undertaker named Jackson (Forest Whitaker), who takes her in and falls in love with her. When the Mississippi mobsters finally show up, Jackson must enlist the help of his streetwise brother, Goldy (Gregory Hines), to save the girl.

Critics Consensus

If it can't quite live up to its source material, A Rage in Harlem still proves a stylishly effective period thriller.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Feb 6, 2018

Duke keeps this tangled tale of lust and larceny bouncing with a disreputable, funloving B-movie energy that's hard to resist.

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

Jul 1, 2013

1.5/4

With its snazzy Elmer Bernstein score, its snappy period flavor and its all-star cast doing something completely different, A Rage in Harlem should have been much more fun than it is.

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Jul 1, 2013

3/4

Jazzy and jauntily funny.

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tt stern-enzi

Cincinnati CityBeat

Aug 26, 2023

Bill Duke’s A Rage in Harlem finds Cincinnati boldly playing a version of New York with moxie to spare...

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

May 9, 2023

2.5/4

Givens is nothing short of spectacular.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Dec 30, 2022

Whitaker conserves sympathy until the end, but with much visible effort. [Full review in Spanish]

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Bill Duke

Director

Forest Whitaker

Jackson

Gregory Hines

Goldy

Robin Givens

Imabelle

Zakes Mokae

Big Kathy

Danny Glover

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Synopsis

After her gangster boyfriend, Slim (Badja Djola), has a shootout with the police, Imabelle (Robin Givens) flees Natchez, Miss., with his stolen gold. She ends up in New York with Slim's gang in pursuit. In Harlem, she latches on to an innocent undertaker named Jackson (Forest Whitaker), who takes her in and falls in love with her. When the Mississippi mobsters finally show up, Jackson must enlist the help of his streetwise brother, Goldy (Gregory Hines), to save the girl.

Director: Bill Duke
Producer: Stephen Woolley
Screenwriter: John Toles-Bey, Robert Crawford Jr.
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 3, 1991, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.8M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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