Hoodlum Movie Review 1996

Highly fictionalized tale of '30s gangster "Bumpy" Johnson (Fishburne, reprising his role from "The Cotton Club"), who refuses to allow Dutch Schultz (Roth) and Lucky Luciano (Garcia) to muscle into the Harlem numbers rackets. Duke makes the proceedings nice to look at, and does well by the eclectic cast, but the uneven screenplay occasionally lets everybody down, especially during the cheesy time-passage montage (complete with Tommy Gun fire and flipping calendar pages). Roth is ruthless as ever and Garcia is smooth as ever. But it's definitely Fishburne's show, as he explores Johnson's professional triumphs and the personal toll they take. Fishburne previously worked with director Duke on "Deep Cover." Singer Michael McCary from Boyz II Men makes his film debut as an explosives expert.

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 130 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Organized Crime, New York, New York, Great Depression, African America, Gambling, Boom!, Crime Drama, Harlem

Screenplay

Chris Brancato

Cast

Laurence "Larry" Fishburne, Tim Roth, Andy Garcia, Vanessa L(ynne) Williams, Cicely Tyson, Clarence Williams, William Atherton, Chi McBride, Richard Bradford, Loretta Devine, Queen Latifah, Paul Benjamin, Mike Starr, Beau Starr, Joe Guzaldo, Ed O'Ross

Cinematography

Frank Tidy

Director

Bill Duke

Music

Elmer Bernstein

Producer

Jr. Frank Mancuso, MGM Home Entertainment