Review of The Five Heartbeats (1991) by Chyrron B — 04 Sep 2012
The Five Heartbeats (1991), directed by Robert Townsend is a film about the triumphs and tribulations of a fictional African American soul group during the late 60s and 70s. The group's origins begin in New York City, where they compete in the weekly talent show held at the local bar.
After several unsuccessful attempts at winning, the group catches the eye of Jimmy Potter (Chuck Patterson), a seasoned manager looking for new talent. With the help of Mr. Potter the group train and groom for the big talent show at the Apollo.
They win, and are on the road to stardom. A long with stardom comes misfortune. The lead singer Eddie King (Michael Wright) becomes arrogant, and Jimmy long time archenemy Big Red (Hawthorne James) convinces Eddie to turn against the group.
Ultimately Jimmy is killed, the group almost breaks up, and the two brothers within the group part. But through it all the group prevails and reunites towards the end. Overall this is a superb movie. I give it four stars.
This review of The Five Heartbeats (1991) was written by Chyrron B on 04 Sep 2012.
The Five Heartbeats has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
