Bill Duke’s HOODLUM, with its rich visuals, brutal violence, and moral probing, pays homage to THE GODFATHER and other classic gangster films while exploring the nature of black empowerment as it relates to criminality. The film is Duke’s second collaboration with Laurence Fishburne, and as with DEEP COVER, Fishburne delivers a compelling performance. He plays Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, the legendary Harlem gangster of the 1930s who fought Dutch Schultz for control of the numbers racket. Tim Roth is hilariously grotesque as Schultz, a villain whose foul mouth sets a new cinematic standard. Duke gets strong performances from Andy Garcia as Lucky Luciano and Chi McBride as Bumpy’s right-hand man, Illinois. Vanessa Williams plays Francine, a social activist who loves Bumpy but can’t understand the violent path he’s chosen. Bumpy, a surprisingly civic-minded criminal, goes to war with Schultz to protect Harlem from the interloper, but as the body count mounts in the community he’s trying to protect, he ends up losing the support of those closest to him. The film’s uneasy mix of mayhem and humor makes for compelling viewing, and the moral questions it raises about black empowerment and criminality only add to the intrigue.
(15 votes)
2.
Oscar nominees Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, and Andy Garcia set the screen ablaze in this riveting crime thriller exploding with spectacular gun battles and brutal action. In 1930's New York, Bumpy Johnson rules the Harlem numbers racket with a rare combination of honor, dignity, and strength. But when savage gangster, Dutch Schultz, threatens his reign with a series of bloody attacks, Bumpy knows that the only way to win is to play Dutch's deadly game. As a vicious war spins madly out of control, so does Bumpy's personal life, and soon the mobster realizes that his only way out is to instigate a dangerous plan involving one of the most feared and powerful gangsters in history… mob chieftain Lucky Luciano. Featuring outstanding supporting performances by Vanessa Williams and the legendary Cicely Tyson, Hoodlum is a thrilling, electrifying and suspense-filled adventure.
(15 votes)
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