Good start, but then it gets ruined

From my favorite movies..

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is the worst movie with Eddie Murphy that I sat through. There are funny parts(i.e his fight with Della Reese of Touched By An Angel ) but overall this is awful. Once out of curiosity I counted every curse words. There were 130 F words and 66 S-words, among other words. Eddie Murphy seemed to care more about that then the story. No wonder he had to be the director of the movie! Don't watch this! And people pick on NORBIT of all of his movies!

This is a good movie, and for one reason: Danny Aiello. He carries the movie. The other characters are shallow two-dimensional facsimiles of gangsters. Aiello injects an element of reality into the story. His character is malevolent, and explains why his is angry: he observes all around him that crime pays off while he, a police officer, has nothing. This theme, that crime pays, pervades the entire movie. Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor are not properly casted for their roles as gangsters. They cannot transcend and suppress their comical natures. The problem is that their characters are not funny. Hence, their performances come off as phony. This is a problem for the comic actor: to be taken seriously when performing a dramatic part. Also, much of the acting is stagy, with the exception of Aiello's and Redd Foxx, who delivers a surprisingly serious and subdued performance in a supporting capacity. Yet, despite these shortcomings, the story is engaging and is worth watching.

Harlem Nights is an excellent,hilarious and underrated Comedy/Crime Drama that combines great direction,a terrific cast,wonderful laughs and a fantastic score and soundtrack. All of those elements make Harlem Nights a memorable film that is Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor at their best.Set in Harlem,New York during the late 1930s,Harlem Nights tells the story of Quick(Eddie Murphy)and Sugar Ray(Richard Pryor)who both run the nightclub Club Sugar Ray and the club is doing well until Gangster Bugsy Calhoune(Michael Lerner)and corrupt cop Phil Cantone(Danny Aiello)want to embezzle money from the club. With their backs against the wall Quick and Sugar Ray come up with a plan to rob Bugsy Calhoune of his money and try to survive on the streets of Harlem.During the period between Coming To America in 1988 and The Nutty Professor in 1996 Eddie Murphy's career was at a crossroads with two categories of movies that were not critical successes but Box office hits(Boomerang,Another 48 Hrs,The Distinguished Gentleman)and movies that were critical and Box Office failures(Beverly Hills Cop III and Vampire In Brooklyn). A film that falls into the former category is Harlem Nights in 1989,a terrific and memorable Comedy/Crime Drama that was the directorial debut of Eddie Murphy that was a passion project for Murphy and was the first and only film with his idol Comedian Richard Pryor. While Harlem Nights was a Box Office success it was panned by critics which is a shame because Harlem Nights is one of Murphy's best and most underrated movies and is a movie that Eddie should be proud of. Harlem Nights is an hilarious movie and one of the funniest films I have ever seen that is entertaining from start to finish a movie that combines laughs,period piece and a Crime genre all in one film a movie that mixes jokes and laughs with violence and intrigue. The Comedy and laughs in Harlem Nights are funny and amazing mixing silliness and black humor with some scenes and dialog that are over the top that is done like a Coen Btothers film or A Rage In Harlem. But while the Harlem Nights has a lot of funny and over the top moments there is also a lot of serious and dramatic moments to the movie thanks to the atmosphere and Crime Drama/Gangster elements that make the movie work. Murphy gives Harlem Nights the right tone and feel for the film with a great balance without making the movie feel uneven. What I also enjoyed about Harlem Nights is the photography(Woody Omens),production design(Laurence G. Paul),Costume Design(Joe I. Tompkins,who received on an Academy Award nomination for his work on the film). All of those elements make Harlem Nights feel authentic and accurate making viewers feel like they are in Harlem during that time in the 1930s and giving the movie a beautiful and glossy look. As stylish as Harlem Nights looks there is plenty of substance especially with the two main characters Quick and Sugar Ray who are great characters while they are both business partners they are very much like Father and son. While there is differences between the two(Quick is young and ambitious,Sugar Ray is older and more patient)Quick and Sugar Ray find common ground when the Mob decides to come after them the to come together against all odds and defeat their enemies. The relationship between Quick and Sugar Ray is fascinating and is one of the many things that drives the film. The ending of Harlem Nights is wonderful and is filled with laughs and surprises that will greatly satisfy viewers. A terrific conclusion.The cast is amazing. Eddie Murphy is is excellent,hilarious and at his best as Quick,with Murphy bringing laughs and playing it straight. Richard Pryor is outstanding and at his best as Sugar Ray,Quick's Father figure and has great scenes with Murphy. Redd Foxx(in his last movie role)is terrific and funny as Bennie,a man in charge of Dice games. Danny Aiello is amazing as Phil Cantone,a corrupt cop. Michael Lerner is fantastic as Bugsy Calhoun,a vicious Gangster. Della Reese is delightful as Vera,a madam who works at Club Sugar Ray's. Jasmine Guy is terrific and beautiful as Dominique La Rue,Calhoun's mistress. Arsenio Hall is very funny in his small role as Crying Man. Vic Polizos(Richie),Lela Richon(Sunshine),Stan Shaw(Jack Jenkins),Berlina Tolbert(Annie),David Marciano(Tony),Thomas Mikal Ford(Tommy Smalls),Miguel A. Nunez Jr.(Man With Broken Nose) and Desi Arnez Hines II(Young Quick)give good performances as well. Also,Lookout for cameos by Robin Harris(Jerome)and Charlie Murphy(Jimmy)The direction by Eddie Murphy is fantastic and stylish,with Murphy moving the camera and giving the movie a visual stunning look and pace. Great direction,Murphy.The score by Herbie Hancock is outstanding,intense and beautiful and truly adds to the film. Wonderful score,Hancock. There is also plenty of great Jazz songs on the soundtrack including Drop Me Off In Harlem by Louis Armstrong and Dike Ellington.In final word,if you love Comedies,Crime Dramas,Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor,I highly suggest you see Harlem Nights,an excellent,hilarious and underrated Comedy/Crime Drama that is Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

While definitely not being a masterpiece "Harlem Nights" is a movie most people should enjoy. First of all a lot of great actors are in it - including legendary Richard Pryor (although his illness at this time was very obvious, and his physical acting is extremely limited. You can see he's having a hard time moving his hands and body), Red Foxx, Eddie Murphy of course, Jasmine Guy and many others... I think it was pretty well written, and if Murphy would've kept it at being a straight drama, the outcome would've been much better. Don't get me wrong, the comedy parts are kept to a minimum, but almost all of them are awful, repetitive and just not funny. It's labeled as comedy/drama, but it's mostly drama. As a drama/action movie, it would be very good. The acting was very good by most actors, and I'm sure a better director would've made "Harlem Nights" a bigger success, because it sure had potential - with the story, and great actors involved. The bottom line is that critics were way too harsh with this one. But the audience is the better judge here, and it was successful at the box offices, so it wasn't that bad after all, was it?