Written and directed by Larry Cohen (The Stuff, It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, Original Gangstas), Black Caesar is essentially a remake of 1931’s Little Caesar with Edward G. Robinson. To its credit; however, Cohen’s film has enough stylized action and Harlem locale in it to make it stand out and far, far apart from the original. The rise-and-fall themes are still there and yet, heavy on the irony, Black Caesar still comes across as honest and very, very real.
It all starts with a shoeshine. Opening in the 1950s, Tommy Gibbs, a young tough shoe shining his way up the ranks of the mob, gets in an entanglement with an Irish cop and is left with a permanent limp. After a spread of a few years, Gibbs (Fred Williamson) returns to the rugged streets of Harlem with a vengeance. He’s headed straight to the top and will take on any mob boss who challenges him. This is HIS city, after all.
Throw in some ill-advised decisions concerning his parents – one he wants to spoil (Minnie Gentry) and one he wants to kill (Julius Harris) - and a whole bevy of women (including Gloria Hendry, his main squeeze) eager to hop in bed with a most powerful man and Gibbs’ shortsightedness becomes obscenely apparent. Money isn’t the answer but just try and tell him differently. He prefers to shoot first and winds up wounded, back where he began.
Cohen’s direction throughout Black Caesar is tight. The action sequences are memorable and - as the flick has been name-dropped by everyone from Big Daddy Kane to Public Enemy – continues to influence. While the Harlem location shoots were handled by Saturday Night Fever’s James Signorelli, much of the film benefits from Cohen’s crisp economical choices. Ain’t no fat on this one, folks. It’s lean and mean and struts more often than it strolls.
Not even the soundtrack written by James Brown and bandleader Fred Wesley – with classics like “Down and Out in New York City” and ‘The Boss” – can convince Gibbs to change his ways. Harlem’s black mafia is his and his alone and his self-proclaimed kingpin status might just be his own undoing.
Hail Caesar! Godfather of Harlem ... the cat with the .45-caliber claws! When cornered and running out of options, Blaxploitation got yer back, brother! Black Caesar, now available on blu-ray from Shout Factory, is a definite must-own.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - May 20, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English; English SDH
Video: HDR - Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Twelve-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
Fred Williamson stars in his signature role of Tommy Gibbs in the action classic Black Caesar! Growing up on the streets and trying to make his mother proud, Gibbs resorts to running 'errands' for The Man. But when a crooked cop beats him up, Tommy realizes there's a better way to live his American dream: by making The Man deliver for him! Infiltrating – and then destroying – an infamous mob family, Gibbs takes over Manhattan ... and tragically loses his hold on the most important things in his life, making him vulnerable to every cutthroat gangster who ever dreamt of ruling an empire! With Williamson's powerhouse performance and gritty direction by cult movie legend Larry Cohen (It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, Original Gangstas), it's little wonder that Black Caesar stands tall among the best the Blaxploitation genre has to offer.
VIDEO
Presented in 1.85:1, Shout Factory gives audiences a great look at Cohen’s movie. The detail and clarity of the picture is impressive and the color grading, which really makes the deep reds pop off the screen, does well in really showing off the atmospheric grime of a version of Harlem which no longer exists. Black and brown levels are solid throughout as the remake goes against the grain.
AUDIO
Blasting away at the walls, the 2.0 Mono (Dual Mono) gives us a strong sense of the power of grindhouse cult classics. It won’t win any awards, mind you, but the front-loaded power on display is far from weak.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features for the details.
Special Features:
From the drive-in to 4K and Blu-ray, the heavy-duty action of the '70s subgenre known as 'Blaxploitation' has thrilled and captivated audiences for decades. Shout Select is proud to present an explosive six-film collection of some of the coolest movies to ever hit the streets. Featuring genre legends Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Isaac Hayes, and Yaphet Kotto, these tough-as-nails and unbelievably hip classics of the subgenre — presented here on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra High Definition — are a tremendous entry point into the world of Blaxploitation for newcomers as well as must-haves for discerning fans of genre cinema.
DISC THREE: BLACK CAESAR (1973 - 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
DISC FOUR: BLACK CAESAR (1973 - BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
- Trailer
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Black Caesar
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 87 mins
Director: Larry Cohen
Writer: Larry Cohen
Cast: Fred Williamson; Gloria Hendry; Art Lund
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: Godfather of Harlem.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Live in this apartment? Why they'd hang me right off that terrace, Jew folks ain't even allowed here."
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Official Site: https://shoutfactory.com/products/blaxploitation-classics-vol-1
Release Date: February 7, 1983
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 20, 2025.
Synopsis: Raised in Harlem, Tommy Gibbs becomes a successful mob boss but he clashes with the rival Mafia and his old enemy, dirty cop McKinney.
