I hate the terms under-rated and over-rated. If a critic gives a film a bad rating, we can assume they honestly didn't like it. It would be reasonable to assume that a bunch of critics not liking the film are also giving their honest impression too. So why do we have this bullshit term "under-rated"? What that word which basically means is "the critics opinions are wrong, and it is secretly a good film. I know this because I like it".
So with that, I come to Harlem Nights. I won't call it under-rated, but I will say that I like it and I am surprised so few other people did. I can see the flaws that they would have picked up on; scenes and jokes go on too long, the plot doesn't really have much going for it, and Eddie Murphy can't seem to find much use for Richard Pryor, or decide whether his own character is a cool, suave bastard or a panicking loud mouth.
In spite of all that, I still find the negative reception a tad surprising. The film is funny and inventive enough to compensate for its faults. Take, for instance, this bizarre little scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLPI_p5RnR0
The film is full of playful stuff like that. It also has a rather interesting dragon character: a crooked cop who actually makes some good points about how he has no sympathy for rich mobsters, whilst he earns dick as an "upstanding citizen". It is a surprisingly poignant point considering how the villainous behaviour of the protagonists goes otherwise unchallenged by the story or by the big bad mafia villain.
Anyway, it is free on netflix. For a cost of admission that low, I think it is worth a try.
Film Let's Talk About "Under-rated"
I hate the terms under-rated and over-rated. If a critic gives a film a bad rating, we can assume they honestly didn't like it. It would be reasonable to assume that a bunch of critics not liking the film are also giving their honest impression too. So why do we have this bullshit term "under-rated"? What that word which basically means is "the critics opinions are wrong, and it is secretly a good film. I know this because I like it".
So with that, I come to Harlem Nights. I won't call it under-rated, but I will say that I like it and I am surprised so few other people did. I can see the flaws that they would have picked up on; scenes and jokes go on too long, the plot doesn't really have much going for it, and Eddie Murphy can't seem to find much use for Richard Pryor, or decide whether his own character is a cool, suave bastard or a panicking loud mouth.
In spite of all that, I still find the negative reception a tad surprising. The film is funny and inventive enough to compensate for its faults. Take, for instance, this bizarre little scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLPI_p5RnR0
The film is full of playful stuff like that. It also has a rather interesting dragon character: a crooked cop who actually makes some good points about how he has no sympathy for rich mobsters, whilst he earns dick as an "upstanding citizen". It is a surprisingly poignant point considering how the villainous behaviour of the protagonists goes otherwise unchallenged by the story or by the big bad mafia villain.
Anyway, it is free on netflix. For a cost of admission that low, I think it is worth a try.