When young Tommy is beaten by a white cop on the take, he vows never to be helpless again. After years in jail he emerges a man with ideals. He executes a hit on a white man the Italian mob wants dead. His price--one block of Harlem to work as his own territory. Empowered by violence, Tommy uses all means at his disposal in his climb to the top. He reunites with his childhood friend (now a lawyer) to make changes in the ghetto. Although he is originally concerned about his community ("we want to see that black people get a fair shake"), it doesn't take long for the taste of power to parch his thirst.
While so many films (Shaft, Superfly, Coffy) that had the unrealistic "stick it to THE MAN" attitude, BC deals with power, corruption, and the inescapability of ghetto life within the black community. It also deals with the attitudes of many African Americans toward leadership that steps squarely on their own throats for personal or political gain. Without his community to protect him, Tommy can be easily divided and conquered by his enemies.
The score, sung by James Brown, is taut and muscular like the film. It also has one of the most beautiful, painful ballads (My Mother's Gone) that is deeply affecting when viewed in the film.
There's a lot of violence here. An ear cutting incident for example, anticipates Reservior Dogs (1992). Tarintino has spoken highly of this film and how it has influenced his work. It also has one of the most racist scripts you can imagine, including a guy smearing shoe polish on a corrupt cop's face (black-facing him) and forcing him to sing "Mammy" with a gun to his head. The language is full of epithets that could never be said today. However, this is a glaring unwashed look at race relations of the early seventies when many of these words were casual conversation.
TCM should be applauded for daring to show this film. Black Caesar is a work of pure rage, but also has a unique moral slant that sets it apart from it's contemporaries. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson does a great job here and BC never lets up or lets us off the hook. While many films of this genre sought to entertain, Black Caesar informs--often as a slap in our face, but as The Hammer says: "Who else am I gonna do it to?"
), but if it encouraged anyone to watch, that's the most important thing.