MovieChat Forums > Black Caesar (1973) Discussion > The Ending

The Ending

posted 16 years ago by Stephanie_Mosley
12 replies | jump to latest

I love Fred Williamson and have seen more than half of his movies but I have to say in this particular movie, what the hell kind of an ending was that??? All through the movie he was shot, chased by the mob, pulls a gun on his own father, humiliated by the racist cop, and slaps around his best friend (Joe) and his ex, Helen. He was in full control and not afraid of anything or anybody, but at the end, after all of his toughness throughout the movie, he gets jumped/beat up/killed and robbed by a bunch of teenage hoodlums. what was that all about??? The movie was a thumbs up, up until that ending. I was very disappointed with it.

[–] doombringergeneral 16 years ago

That's the whole point. It's a great ending. After all he's been through, he gets killed by some kids. He screwed over everyone on his way to the top and he has no one to turn to. He's powerless. He lost his entourage and his "street cred", and it's partly his own fault. I think you're missing the point of the ending and its irony. He's not in control and he has lost everything. I think it's a fantastic ending.

[–] lightbright83 16 years ago

There is actually a sequal to black ceasar called hell up in harlem. Check it out...

Love me for me and only me.

[–] Barry_the_Baptist 15 years ago

The point was to show that he died at the hands of his own people because he never leveraged his power and wealth to help the people of Harlem. His friend and partner Joe wanted him to rebuild the youth centers and improve living conditions there, but all Tommy could focus on was more power and more bloodshed.

The duality of man, sir. The Jungian thing.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I think it's the perfect ending. For all his "power," Tommy was nothing but a punk himself, prone to domination by the future punks of the 'hood. Violence begets violence. In this case, it also bets a sequel.

[–] teejay6682 15 years ago

i thought the ending was pretty good. loved the last 20 min or so with the taxi/street chase and everything.

[–] collin-reid 14 years ago

I do wonder if the screenwriters took some ideas for the ending from it source, "Little Caesar?" The endings showed both were punks in the end and they had to pay for their sins. (Of course in 1931, Hollywood had to show the criminals getting theirs in the end. Also that is how most criminals & mobsters end up.) I not trying to say blaxoitation is rip off of the old 1930's gangster/street movies but the Warners success did give blaxoitation a "blue" print of movie-making.

[–] prettyD2368 13 years ago

He didn't die at the end. He just got beat up and robbed. He was alive all through the sequel Hell Up in Harlem.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] balducci2 11 years ago

Depends which version you saw. He lived in the American / domestic release. He died in the foreign release and home video release.

The death sequence was filmed, they decided to remove it, it was removed from the American / domestic release, but it was accidentally left in the original film that was sent to make the print for the foreign (and home video) versions.

This comes from Larry Cohen in his Director's Commentary for the sequel, Hell Up in Harlem.

Cohen also says that even in the version with the 'death sequence' it is ambiguous whether or not he really dies.

[–] piggoli-imdb 10 years ago

LOL. The ending IS one of the reasons why I love this movie. You cannot stay in control of life all the time; life is a b*tch and it is bound to get back at you for all you did one or other time

[–] tooclosetothetv 9 years ago

I thought the pace got deadly slow after he got shot. Wish it had kept me on the edge of my seat, not checking the clock. Nearly slow motion car chase and dudes beating each other up.