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Hoodlum

5.8

1,930

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Original title

Hoodlum

Year

1997

Running time

130 min.

Country

United States

Director

Bill Duke

Screenwriter

Chris Brancato

Cast

Music

Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography

Frank Tidy

Producer

United Artists

Genre

Thriller | Mafia. Crime. 1930s

Synopsis

The film focuses on the war of two gangs in 1930s Harlem for the control of illegal gaming - one headed by black strategic godfather Bumpy Johnson and another by white ruthless hothead Dutch Schultz. Negotiations proposed by white syndicate boss Lucky Luciano never get under way, blood flows and Johnson gets jailed. When Johnson is paroled, he gets the work of enforcer for mighty Stephanie "The Queen" St. Clair. She is also jailed for racketeering and when she leaves she makes him promise "no violence".

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Awards: 1998: NAACP Image Awards: 3 nominations

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Critics' reviews

"Duke is a superb director of actors, and, as in 'Deep Cover', Fishburne manages to suggest a lot with a deft economy of means"

Jonathan Rosenbaum: Chicago Reader
"While Chris Brancato's script doesn't reveal anything new or surprising, it's a competent piece of storytelling that incorporates elements of human interest"

James Berardinelli: ReelViews
"Bill Duke renders the period saga with passion, but lacks the sort of fluid, organic style the material requires; the film falls short of its aim for mythic proportion. Still, there's a vibrancy that's engrossing, if uneven."

Leonard Klady: Variety
"Too long by about 20 minutes, the film drags a bit, but the acting--fine throughout--carries the whole thing."

Ernest Hardy: LA Weekly
"Duke rarely operates at more than a TV movie-of-the-week level of originality, but Hoodlum is still an easy movie to enjoy."

Liam Lacey: The Globe and Mail

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Hoodlum

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