Movie · 1989 · Comedy, Crime, Drama · 1h 56m · R · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (44.1K ratings)
They're up to something big.
Overview
'Sugar' Ray is the owner of an illegal casino and must contend with the pressure of vicious gangsters and corrupt police who want to see him go out of business. In the world of organised crime and police corruption in the 1920s, any dastardly trick is fair.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.10/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Metacritic: 16
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Eddie Murphy
Production
Paramount Pictures, Eddie Murphy Productions
Cast
Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Della Reese, Berlinda Tolbert, Stan Shaw, Jasmine Guy, Vic Polizos, Lela Rochon, David Marciano, Arsenio Hall, Thomas Mikal Ford, Uncle Ray Murphy, Michael Goldfinger, Joe Pecoraro, Robin Harris, Charlie Murphy, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A messy but often charming period crime-comedy with standout production design, a stacked comic cast, and real cultural significance. It’s uneven as a film, but the energy, quotable moments, and star-powered chemistry make it worthwhile if you’re in the right mood.
Best for
fans of 1920s/30s gangster stories with a comic edge
viewers interested in Black Hollywood and star-driven passion projects
people who enjoy big, glossy, imperfect studio comedies
fans of Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, and ensemble banter
Skip if
you want tight plotting and polished direction
you’re allergic to broad comedy or tonal whiplash
you prefer gritty crime films over playful period capers
you need every scene to feel fully developed
Overview
Harlem Nights is the kind of movie that feels bigger than its execution. The plotting can be slack and the direction uneven, but the film has a swagger that’s hard to dismiss: lavish sets, sharp costumes, and a parade of comic performers clearly having fun in a world built for them. It’s a vanity project in the best and worst sense, full of excess but also full of personality.
Worth noting
What lingers most is the chemistry and the cultural weight of seeing so many major Black performers in a glossy studio gangster picture. The movie swings between crime caper, period romance, and broad farce, sometimes awkwardly, but the individual scenes often land harder than the whole. When it clicks, it’s funny, stylish, and unexpectedly warm.
Bottom line
If you want a clean, disciplined crime comedy, this won’t be your movie. If you’re open to a flawed showcase with real charisma and a distinctive point of view, it has enough bite and spectacle to earn a recommendation. It’s less a perfectly made film than a memorable one.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (3★) · 239 likes
This isn't without its hiccups; the acting is largely wooden, the script is barely there, the direction is just sort of adequate. But this is entirely exceptional for putting so many black performers on the screen in so many roles in an extravagantly expensive period blaxplo picture. This might have been a vanity project for Murphy, but only a guy with his clout could have gotten it made, and I'm glad he did.
Ludovic Bagman (4★) · 164 likes
Eddie Murphy, I'm sorry they bullied you out of directing. This movie rocks.
Christian Di Leo (2★) · 114 likes
In the 80s, Eddie Murphy was on top of the world. He had a poppin' film career, was basically handed a music career and to top it all off, he managed to write and direct his own passion project Harlem Nights, a comedic 1930s gangster film. I do really love the costumes, sets and locations, they look great. Other than that and some decent jokes and performances, this thing is pretty stale overall. It isn't all that fun or exciting,… more In the 80s, Eddie Murphy was on top of the world. He had a poppin' film career, was basically handed a music career and to top it all off, he managed to write and direct his own passion project Harlem Nights, a comedic 1930s gangster film. I do really love the costumes, sets and locations, they look great. Other than that and some decent jokes and performances, this thing is pretty stale overall. It isn't all that fun or exciting,… more
Dave Edwards (3★) · 108 likes
There’s no doubt Harlem Nights has issues and Eddie Murphy was obviously trying to find his voice and style as a director, but as far as vanity projects are concerned, this one is right up my alley. A big budget, exploitation-style, gangster-period/piece filled with wonderful comedians and character actors, all clearly relishing the opportunity to work with each other. Watching Eddie dramatize his mentor/mentee relationship with Pryor is just a treat – I couldn’t stop grinning anytime they shared the… more There’s no doubt Harlem Nights has issues and Eddie Murphy was obviously trying to find his voice and style as a director, but as far as vanity projects are concerned, this one is right up my alley. A big budget, exploitation-style, gangster-period/piece filled with wonderful comedians and character actors, all clearly relishing the opportunity to work with each other. Watching Eddie dramatize his mentor/mentee relationship with Pryor is just a treat – I couldn’t stop grinning anytime they shared the… more
isaac (4.5★) · 82 likes
a black-as-fuck 30s period piece crime-drama that Murphy wrote, directed and stars in? come on. this movie rules.