produce at a point in his career and where he have the juice to do whatever he want and eddie murphy take on the task of produce and direct and co writing and starring in harlem night and an expensive look but ultimately empty gangster saga about a group of black nightclub owner or gangster run a ritzy club during the 1930 and head by a wisecracking hot shot ( eddie murphy ) and his adopt father ( richard pryor ) and their attempt to avoid be overrun by white gangster who think they be take over turf that and it seem and they think be rightfully theirs and simply by virtue of their color . this be an idea that probably look great on paper but it definitely lose something in the translation . this be a vanity piece for eddie and i think he spread himself a little too thin here try to be the whole show here . admittedly and it be a pleasure see murphy and pryor together on screen and but the rest of the large support cast and include arsenio hall and redd foxx and della reese and michael lerner and danny aiello and jasmine guy and thomas mikal ford and stan shaw and and eddie brother and be really give precious little to do ( though i will admit murphy fight scene with della reese be hysterically funny and probably and the movie best scene ) . murphy clearly pour a lot of money into this film and a good deal of it show on screen . the art and set direction be impressive and the breathtaking costume should have win an oscar and but this one be a big miss for eddie a he definitely try to wear too many hat .