A Rage in Harlem

**A Rage in Harlem** is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Bill Duke.

The film premiered at the 44th Cannes Film Festival and released theatrically on May 3, 1991 by Miramax Films.

It is loosely based on Chester Himes' novel of the same name.

## Plot

The beautiful girlfriend of a gangster flees to Harlem, New York after a shootout with a trunk full of gold, unaware that there are people (especially the gang) on her trail.

## Cast

* Forest Whitaker as Jackson
* Gregory Hines as Goldy
* Robin Givens as Imabelle
* Zakes Mokae as Big Kathy
* Danny Glover as Easy Money
* Badja Djola as Slim
* John Toles-Bey as Jodie
* Tyler Collins as Teena
* Ron Taylor as Hank
* Samm-Art Williams as Gus Parsons

## Box Office

"A Rage in Harlem" grossed $2,458,080 during its opening weekend. Overall, the film grossed $10,438,504 worldwide on an estimated budget of $8,000,000.

## Critical Reception

Critic Roger Ebert gave the film a three-star rating, writing: *"When I first saw the film I found it cluttered with minor characters and aimless scenes, and gave it "thumbs down" on the "Siskel & Ebert" TV program. Then Miramax, the film's distributor, discovered it had mistakenly shipped an earlier version of the film. This final version, which I subsequently screened, has been edited down by 10 minutes, removing confusion, abbreviating or eliminating characters, and focusing on the love story. It's a lot better."*

The Seattle Times said: *"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."*

David Ansen from Newsweek said: *"[Bill] Duke keeps this tangled tale of lust and larceny bouncing with a disreputable, funloving B-movie energy that's hard to resist."*

The New Yorker called it a *"flamboyant, engaging action comedy."*

Jonathan Rosenbaum from the Chicago Reader said the film was *"a delightful rendering of a Chester Himes novel with a 50s setting."*

Marjorie Baumgarten of the Austin Chronicle wrote: *"A Rage in Harlem literally bursts onto the screen with an opening sequence that leaves you agape at its fresh mixture of action, comedy and drama. The movie is great fun and manages to tread all these narrative alleys and move at a fast-paced clip while juggling the various tones adeptly and creating a product that's not easily classifiable."*

Derek Winnert.com said: *"There is no denying the power of many of the scenes and the performances, especially those of [Forrest] Whitaker, [Robin] Givens, Danny Glover and Gregory Hines. But the tone is uneven, varying from broad comedy to strong violence, and the film’s welcome starts to evaporate too soon. However Duke keeps it cracking along, and there is some crackling dialogue and a hard-boiled atmosphere to relish along the way."*

Variety magazine noted that director Bill Duke's *"mix of comedy and violence in the Chester Himes period crime tale is dubious."*

Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly said: *"There's just enough atmosphere, comedy, and raw acting talent in Bill Duke's amiable gangster-caper movie, A Rage In Harlem, to make you wish the plot weren't a complete shambles."*

## Awards

**Cannes Film Festival** (1991)

* Palme d'Or: Bill Duke [*Nominated*]