Black Caesar 4K 1973

And yet, I decided that the film deserves a ten out of ten. Everything here is fine and coherent. Practically every scene is concise, simple, and self-sufficient. Even if they are somewhat independent of each other, their synergy leads to a fairly powerful effect. The gangster motif, which was fashionable in those years thanks to The Godfather, is elegantly rendered in the blaxploitation style. The drama and dynamics subtly echo Jim Brown's sincere ballads. The powerful figure of the African-American Atlanta Fred Williamson is complemented by his unforgettable charisma. It is impossible not to believe in the rise of his criminal career, as well as in the twilight of the eternal human soul. The weakness of his personal life is accurately conveyed in his sexual brutality towards his wife. No less truthful is his meeting with his previously unknown father after many years of separation. It is obvious that living in a world of violence makes our main character a victim of his professional aspirations. However, this is a good reason for fans of gangster movies to imagine what the rise and leadership of Santino Corleone would have looked like.

Larry Cohen shows a world of illusory glamour and real violence twisted into a Fibonacci spiral, where police officers turn out to be some of the most dangerous predators, ‘scary’ Italian gangsters are mediocre conformists, and evil released into the world will always come back with a vengeance. The drawn-out ending turns out to be a forgotten masterpiece of enchantment. And then there's Art Lund as Fred Williamson's most brutal adversary. There's no room for reflection here, nothing superfluous. Just drive, just ambition.