| Hoodlum | 
| Director: Bill Duke
Actors: Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Vanessa Williams, Andy Garcia, Cicely Tyson
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $2.80
You Save: $12.18 (81%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (34 reviews)
Sales Rank: 10395
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 130 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Array
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: MGMD906995D
ISBN: 0792838076
UPC: 027616699527
EAN: 9780792838074
ASIN: 0792838076
Release Date: February 4, 1998
Theatrical Release Date: August 27, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
OscarA(r) 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 1930s' New York, Bumpy Johnson (Fishburne) rules the Harlem numbers racket with a rare combination of honor, dignity and strength. But when savage gangster Dutch Schultz (Roth), threatens his reign witha series of bloody attacks, Bumpy knows that the only way to win is to play Dutch's deadly game. Asa 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 chieftan Lucky Luciano (Garcia). Featuring outstanding supporting performances by Vanessa Williams and the legendary Cicely Tyson, Hoodlum is a thrilling, electrifying and suspense-filled adventure! *Fishburne: Actor, What's Love Got to DoWith It (1993); Roth: Supporting Actor, Rob Roy (1995); Garcia: Supporting Actor, TheGodfather III (1990)
Amazon.com
A flawed but admirably ambitious gangster movie, Hoodlum aspires to be a kind of Harlem-based equivalent to The Godfather, and while it falls short of that lofty goal it's still got plenty of qualities to make it well worth seeing. It's the first film to tell the story of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (charismatically played by Laurence Fishburne), an ex-convict who dominated the Harlem numbers racket during the 1930s and '40s. As he rises to power he gains equally powerful enemies, including hotheaded Bronx gangster Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) and the suave mobster Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia). Determined to defend his Harlem turf against these invaders, Bumpy eclipses the "policy queen" Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson) and becomes a self-styled Robin Hood figure, attracting the attention of a community servant (Vanessa Williams) who must confront the brutality of Bumpy's business. A must-see for anyone who likes gangster movies, Hoodlum is certainly not a masterpiece, but sharp performances and some powerful scenes make it an interesting look at a little-known chapter in criminal history. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 "Get ready for your final thrill" August 4, 2008
This movie might not have won any awards or gotten praise by these high brow snobs but its still an excellent piece of work directed by Bill Duke(who stared in Commando, Predator, Exit Wounds, National Security and Busta Rhymes' Dangerous video) with excellent performances from an all-star cast.
Set in the Depression Era of 1930s Harlem, The only way people could make money was through the "Numbers racket which is ran by Stephanie St. Clair(Cicely Tyson) also known as " The Queen". An arrogant and brash gangster called Dutch Schultz wants to take control of the numbers game and ends up bumping heads with Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson(Laurence Fishburne) who is just released from jail. These two get into a series of wars and everything starts to get out of control. Laurence Fishburne as well as Tim Roth were great in this film. Andy Garcia played it mellow as Lucky Luciano but he was better here than he was in 8 Million Ways To Die. There are also some solid performances here by Cicely Tyson, Chi Mcbride(Illinois) and Vanessa Williams(Bumpy's love interest). As far as complaints I have none. Hoodlum is well written and well acted. It pays homage to gangsters but doesnt glorify them. I tip my hat of to Bill Duke for this one. Two thumbs up as high up as they can go.
Good movie,but...... May 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Good movie,great acting, but if you want to know the REAL story of Bumpy Johnson,Madame Queen,and the character played by the great Clarence Williams III, Bub Hewlett, and the white gangsters, read an eyewitness account. Read "Harlem Godfather, the rap on my husband Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. It's hard to put the book down! Also she tells the REAL story of Frank Lucas, who she says was little more than a flunky.
Anybody see the irony? November 6, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Oscar nominees, Fishbourne, Roth, and Garcia were nominated for an oscar for playing bad guys; Tim Roth for playing a ruthless royal rapist, Lawrence Fishbourne for playing an drug-addicted abusive husband, and Garcia for playing a power hungry gangster. Either way these three guys made this movie great.
Kinda the prelude to American Gangster November 4, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Excellent movie .. and if you watch this movie then go see American Gangster...it follows a path. In American Gangster Denzel's character is the hier to Bumpy Johnson who passes away early in the film.
A FILM OF GREAT ORIGINAL GANGSTERS. October 26, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
this is another one of those good films of street life brought to motion picture. hoodlum is a whole different kind of movie. it was a whole nother world out there in harlem back in the day, and this films delivers just that. it was a street war out there. survival of the smartest, and you can trust no one. everything was done so well. the era and the story. it's all about this man bumpy's survival and trying to help his people. he has to stay strong, dependent, legite, and honest to the best of his ability for his fellow people. that makes him a strong leader. someone everyone looks up to, that people want to be. he's runnin the streets of harlem, and for a while all is fine, until the one and only dutch moves in and tries to take over. he comes in violent and is a man of action and and many words. that's when all hell comes loose, and a street war begins. blood spills, things spiral out of control, and it seems bumpy's loosin the reigns of control. until he seeks the help of famous mobster lucky luciano to aide him in this rivalry against the dutch. all the while his friends get wacked, and his love can take no more and leaves. one day he's on top of the world and the next he's down, but always watching his back. it's a battle of the strongest, and smartest. racial tensions, and money are a deadly combination. superb film, one of the best, and it'll have your attention all the way through. laurence fishburne, as bumpy, is a wonderful actor. he kicks it like hell in his movies. this is no exception, great job, and he plays the part very well. andy garcia, as lucky luciano, is a classic man himself. fits the part, and has a strong presence no doubt. as for tim roth, as dutch schultz, the man's crazy. he's lost his damn mind. he acts and he doesn't think about the consequences and that leads to his downfall. great actor, love this guy. his i don't give a damn attitude is tight. he steals the limelight during his scenes. so many good actors, it's a should see movie for that reason alone. the rest is good stuff as well, chaos, blood, murder, betrayel, go head to head with survival, strength, street smart, and vengance.
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