Harlem Nights: Beneath the Comedy, a Scorsese Homage?

Okay, so I just re-watched Harlem Nights for maybe the tenth time, and something's been bugging me. We all know it's Eddie Murphy's baby – he directed, wrote, and starred. But hear me out, could this actually be a subtle homage to Scorsese's crime flicks, watered down for mainstream '80s comedy? I know, I know, it sounds crazy. But think about it. The whole setup with Sugar Ray running an illegal club and battling both rival gangsters and corrupt cops? That's straight outta Mean Streets or Goodfellas, just amped up with slapstick and more… colorful language. And remember the scene where Quick is torturing Bugsy Calhoun (the dude who was running his mouth)? The tone is obviously comedic, but there's a darkness lurking underneath that mirrors a similar ruthlessness you see in, say, Joe Pesci's characters. I think Murphy, a known Scorsese fan, was trying to sneak a little bit of that gritty crime drama texture into his comedic vision. Maybe it was subconscious, maybe it was intentional. Probably a bit of both, honestly. It's easy to just see the over-the-top performances and the big set pieces, but I genuinely think there's something more going on beneath the surface. Plus, the ending with the shoot out felt very '80s Hollywood with lots of bullets flying. But I'd love to hear what you guys think, am I reaching here or is there something to this theory? One last point: I wish it didn't get that PG-13 rating. I know it was 1989, but the movie felt held back. I wonder what the film could have been like if it went all the way. Still, I think it it's seriously underrated, even with all its flaws.