Hoodlum (1997)
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A fictionalized account of the violent gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia and black gangsters in 1930s Harlem.
The story
In 1934, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson is released from Sing Sing and returns to Harlem, where mobster Dutch Schultz asserts control of the lucrative numbers game. Schultz reports to Mafia boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who pays bribes to special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. Reuniting with his cousin "Illinois" Gordon, Bumpy returns to the employ of Harlem crime boss Madame Queen, whose business is threatened by Schultz. Bumpy is introduced to Francine, a friend of Illinois' girlfriend Mary. After Schultz's men attack Madame Queen, Bumpy and fellow mobster Whispers repel the assassins and rescue her, setting the stage for a violent power struggle.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1934, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson is released from Sing Sing and returns to Harlem, where mobster Dutch Schultz asserts control of the lucrative numbers game. Schultz reports to Mafia boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Bumpy joins Harlem crime boss Madame Queen, whose business is threatened by Schultz. After Bumpy and Whispers rescue Queen from Schultz's men, Schultz declares his intent to take over Harlem. Schultz hires hitmen to kill Bumpy, but Bumpy ambushes them. Bumpy eventually takes over Queen's operation, enlisting a runner named Tyrone. By 1935, an all-out war erupts between Bumpy and Schultz, resulting in a high body count, including Tyrone. After a series of escalating acts of violence, including a bomb attack on a brewery and the murder of Illinois' girlfriend Mary, Luciano forces both men to meet. Bumpy and Schultz refuse to settle their dispute. Bumpy eventually forms an alliance with Luciano and kills Schultz after Schultz's bodyguard, Lulu, shoots him. Bumpy then secures a bribe from the prosecutor and warns Luciano to stay away from Harlem, ultimately walking away from the conflict alone.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Bill Duke
- Writers
- Chris Brancato · writer
- Cast and characters
- Laurence Fishburne · Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson; Tim Roth · Dutch Schultz; Vanessa Williams · Francine; Cicely Tyson · Madame Queen; Chi McBride · Whispers; Richard Bradford · Illinois Gordon; Clarence Williams III · Bub Hewlett; Andy García · Lucky Luciano
- Genres
- crime drama; crime thriller
- Themes
- gang warfare; race and ethnicity; organized crime
- Tone and mood
- violent; historical drama; thriller
- Premise and plot tags
- gangster; biographical; crime
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 43% and a Metacritic score of 50. Audiences gave it a grade B on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 43% · review count: 21
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Chicago despite being set in Harlem.; The soundtrack peaked at #94 on the Billboard 200.; The film was criticized for historical inaccuracies, such as the claim that Thomas E. Dewey took bribes.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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