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That was an excellent one.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Hoodlum takes place in mid-1930's Harlem right in the middle of the great depression. No one has any work including the largely African-American Harlemites so playing the numbers and running numbers was the way to make a buck. A lady by the name of Madam Queen (Cicely Tyson) ran the numbers racket in Harlem but a greedy gangster by the name of the Dutchman (Tim Roth) saw fit to take a cut of all of Madam Queen's profits. Bumpy Johnson (Laurence Fishburne), a right-hand man of the Queen's, wanted to keep Harlem money in Harlem even if that meant going to war with the Dutchman.The story was a sound story even though the movie itself had some flaws. One thing I couldn't get past was Laurence Fishburne playing a gangster. He just didn't seem to fit the role to me. He wasn't all that bad it's just that he didn't quite seem to fit. Besides Fishburne everyone else seemed right for their roles.The movie moved at a steady pace ever building to some kind of impasse between Bumpy and the Dutchman. There were some major setbacks along the way but what you gathered from the movie is that Bumpy was extremely ambitious and was willing to risk a lot to attain power--or maybe it was just to attain financial freedom for Harlem--it can be either/or depending upon your view of Bumpy.When I watched the movie for the first time 20+ years ago I had no idea that Bill Duke was the director. I'd say he did a good job overall with the exception of some of the slow motion shots and the music. Slo mo can be very effective when used correctly and it can be very distracting when used incorrectly. I think Bill Duke tried too hard to make the portentous moments stick out as though the audience wouldn't recognize their significance. There's no need to do that if your movie is good enough because you will have the audience's attention. And the music just wasn't my flavor. I know it was a 30's era movie but the 30's era musical choices were lousy. Not that I have a musical ear but it sounded off key to me. The slo mo and the music weren't big detractors though; nothing that was going to make me stop the movie in disgust. It was an exceptional movie and worth the watch.

Colorful, violent, a good cast, and excellent period recreation highlight this depression era Gangster Movie. Directed by Actor Bill Duke, it is at times talky and languishes a bit, but the action pieces are stylish and visceral.Guilty of repetitive speech making and some over acting, the Movie waivers between High Camp and a serious Character Study. Tim Roth almost steals the Show with a sleazy, disgusting, foul-mouthed portrayal of Dutch Schultz, but Laurence Fishburne as Bumpy Johnson, and Vanessa Williams in a supporting Role make their mark.The Film is never boring even though it tends to drag in spots and is over-long to a fault. Overall it is a mostly fictitious account that is worth a watch for its style, pizazz, great period detail, and brutal Gangster violence that the Genre demands.

Hoodlum (1997): Dir: Bill Duke / Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Andy Garcia, Vanessa Williams, Cicely Tyson: Well made gangster film that evaporates into a litter of bullets. It regards lower standards of living and hostile attitude. Based on a true story in the 1930's Harlem with a triangle turf battle in motion. Laurence Fishburne leads the patrol against Tim Roth and Andy Garcia. He is smart and tough but unable to balance his personal life with romance. Bodies pile up and nobody really wins in the end. The concept still holds interest although the screenplay grows repetitious and weary. Director Bill Duke does a fine job with fantastic art direction. This film successfully captures the period for which it addresses but perhaps a tighter screenplay would have been beneficial. Fishburne holds his own as a gangster trying to be the gangster and the romantic interest. This will not work to his favour. Vanessa Williams delivers a strong performance as his love interest who is questioning the lifestyle he is involved in. Roth and Garcia overact as the two other opposing gang leaders who will end up on the receiving end of bad luck. This is not terrible filmmaking but the screenplay isn't as ambitious as it could have been. It does succeed in present the period for which it represents. Its purpose is to create the reality of gang lifestyles but the screenplay has more bark than bite. Score: 6 / 10

This is a movie set in the 1930's in Harlem. It is the height of the depression and a Negro, Bumpy Johnson, has just been released from gaol. He returns to find that the Queen's gambling racket is being threatened by a white man from downtown. Everybody in Harlem is happy with the way things are - people play the numbers game and win enough to put food on the table. But numbers is a very big business and the mafia wants a piece of it. The mafia boss of the time, Lucky Lucino, is content to let it go, but one of his underlings wants a piece of the action and soon a gang war breaks out.This is the typical inter-war style movie with corrupt cops and politicians and crime running rife. The prohibition years are over, but people are making money now by other rackets, and the American system of brutal monopoly is leaving blood on the streets and the corrupt politicians are supporting those who have the most money. It is a time of lawlessness and strife, and in a way we should feel glad we don't live there. Another thing about the time is that the Negro is still very much in the underclass and there is a lot of prejudice and tension between the races.The major theme here is how power corrupts. The Queen is taken to gaol and she gives Bumpy the business to run. Bumpy is a very intelligent man, but he is also very stubborn. He refuses to give into the non-Negros and will continue to fight until one is dead. Unfortunately his stubbornness brings about the death of many innocent people. During this time, his girlfriend walks out on him, and his cousin begins to disown him, yet he refuses to give in because he believes he is right.This movie really looks at the tragedy of this, but it is not that tragic because Bumpy soon sees how he has changed and will begin to change before it is too late. But then with the death of his cousin, one can argue it is too late. His girlfriend has left, and chastises him for being so stubborn that he refuses to step into a church to pay respects for one of the dead. He finally steps into a church to pay respect to his cousin, and then walks straight out. As such we see the beginning of a change, but we don't follow through with it. The problems have been solved, and Harlem has its autonomy - what happens to Bumpy in the future is for the future.