Harlem Nights
After proving without a doubt that he was the undisputed box office champion of 80s movie comedy (with an output that was considerably less than most of his contemporaries like Chevy Chase), Eddie Murphy was finally given the chance to direct his own film, no expense being spared, no subject matter off limits. Murphy would also wind up never directing again, claiming to have been distracted during the filming of this 1989 release by offset personal issues and worse, having to face the wrath of critics along with the appalled shock of many in Hollywood itself since the film had turned out to be SO raw, raunchy and even at times meanspirited that they managed to overlook the essential nature of Murphy himself as a comedian which was in many ways how black (African American) people really are (or can be) pretty hardcore in their own views or beliefs about both bad behavior and gutter level humor, not to mention misogynist (a charge which has haunted Murphy throughout his career) in their views and treatment of women. At least Murphy was able to assemble his preferred dream cast for the project, most importantly starting with his main idol and comedic influence in one Richard Pryor playing his adopted father / mentor in the gangster underworld of Harlem, New York. Ironically, Pryor would later dispel a commonly held belief by many (which was reinforced by a famous Murphy standup bit) that he and Murphy were somehow longtime friends and / or acquaintances when in fact they barely knew each other before Pryor was cast here in this film and things only became more aggravated when Pryor would reportedly lecture Murphy on set about how his style of humor was âtoo meanâ and that he really should try to âbe nicerâ in order to connect with audiences better to make them laugh. Pryor of course was already suffering from the early onset of MS (a condition that would reduce him to being virtually a blinking corpse when he passed away 15 years later) and it was clear in watching the movie that he seemed unusually stiff in his physical movements on camera, being at his most comfortable whenever he was sitting down in a relaxed position. Pryor also (reportedly because of his condition) made a point to tone down his Harlem crime boss character of Sugar Ray, someone who was involved in a major turf war with some white gangsters (similar to the real life scrum between Dutch Schultz and Bumpy Johnson in the 1930s) but whom in Pryorâs hands never raises his voice and instead uses his brains to defeat his rivals (who handily outnumber him) with a precise game plan that involves using his own limited resources and manpower to hit just the right people at the right time while thinking three moves ahead in order to be prepared for how they might respond. Truly a dignified turn for Pryor whose calm demeanor contrasts with Murphyâs Quick, a hot headed (yet well known and feared) second in command of the group who like Pryor, knows all too well âitâs not how many people you shoot, itâs who you shootâ. Also brought onboard mostly for sentimental reasons is Redd Foxx (very close to being at the end of his life at this point) as the nearly blind runner of the craps tables at Pryorâs establishment, and while Foxx is granted his fair share of funny lines and moments, he more or less takes on the role of the classic incidental character, always around hanging out in the room but rarely having a direct influence on the plot itself. The opening scene establishes well the whole meanspirited yet still over the top hilarious nature of the piece, depicting Pryor meeting Quick as a little kid while running a low rent backroom operation where a particularly nasty (and toothless) crapshooter takes offense to the little kid being in the room and when he craps out, pulls a knife on Pryor and attempts to rob the place before being shot right between the eyes by the young boy (who had grabbed Pryorâs gun he had kept hidden under the table). How is this funny? Well, the completely wacko nature of the losing craps player (Ji-Tu Cumbuka) which includes him making nutso threats towards the kid who winds up killing him combined with the wonderfully understated playing of the scene by Pryor himself (who woozily deadpans as the guy keels over dead âwow I guess he really does have bad luck with kids.â) shows just how the rest of the movie will play out with Pryor being the anchor of calm tranquility amongst the sea of loud mouthed, profanity spewing costars whom heâs sharing the screen with. 20 years after the opening scene, Pryor and a now grown up Murphy are doing big business with their Harlem nightclub (even packing in a big crowd on Monday nights which is unheard of), drawing the interest of bloated white gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner, making a point of acting suitably unpleasant during every scene heâs in) and his corrupt point man on the police force (Danny Aiello) who not only serves as a hitman but also seems considerably smarter and more charming than his boss (despite a VERY nasty racist streak). When given the option of giving up 2/3 of their weekly take to Lerner or else face the consequences, Murphy and Pryor balk and devise their own plan, brilliantly utilizing their small crew to take as little risk as possible while still giving these assholes exactly what theyâve got coming to them. But each side has their own weaponry, as Lerner sends his beautiful mistress (Jasmine Guy) to seduce Quick and try to bring him into their fold (thus betraying Pryor), while Pryor commissions his in house madam (Della Reese) to send out into the field their most beautiful working girl (Lela Rochon) in order to seduce and manipulate Lernerâs trusted pick up man (Vic Polizos), a sad sack of a wanna be gangster who falls right into Rochonâs clutches (and Pryorâs) to make him an easy mark for the scheme that they intend to pull off. In fact, the subplot with Rochon and her fake betrothed (who initially talks about how heâs never normally attracted to a âcoloredâ girl) threatens to steal the entire movie with how laugh out loud hilarious it is, showing us a truly pathetic guy who just completely falls for a beautiful girlâs con hook, line, and sinker no questions asked. Also of note is the (infamous in many circles) fistfight scene between Reese and Murphy after Murphy accuses her of stealing which leads to not only Murphy shooting her in the foot but afterwards Reese continues to be a part of their crew despite the debilitating injury. Then thereâs Arsenio Hall popping up in a cameo (and certainly being the craziest out of all the performances in the film) as a small timer targeting Murphy over a case of mistaken identity and engaging in an all out gunfight with him as a result and also Stan Shaw (who has often played boxers) as The Champ, the world heavyweight boxing titleholder who maintains a friendship with Pryor but can only converse through slurred words and labored stuttering, the hysterical yet expected aftereffects of having been hit in the head so many times (but he is still a badass in the ring). In many ways, the film does successfully recreate the feel of those 1970s black heist movies which featured names like Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby (and of which a couple were actually directed by Poitier) along with the mother of all con artist movies, The Sting. For those who were fans of Murphyâs untouchable box office streak, thereâs a lot to savor here but the real attraction may very well be Pryor, nailing home his characterâs convictions that while their business interests are being raided by criminals, they themselves are just peace loving nightclub owners who as decent people in their own right have every justification to stand up for themselves and not allow these lowlife hoodlums to push them around, a trait that underneath all of the perceived negativity about Murphyâs comedy style, is one that makes this film rather endearing and also underrated as wellâŚ
9/10