Synopsis
In 1934, the second most lucrative business in New York City was running 'the numbers'. When Madam Queen—the powerful woman who runs the scam in Harlem—is arrested, Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson takes over the business and must resist an invasion from a merciless mobster.
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Cast
- Laurence FishburneBumpy Johnson
- Tim RothDutch Schultz
- Vanessa WilliamsFrancine Hughes
- Andy GarcíaLucky Luciano
- Cicely TysonStephanie St. Clair
- Chi McBrideIllinois Gordon
- Clarence Williams IIIBub Hewlett
- Richard BradfordCaptain Foley
- William AthertonThomas E. Dewey
- Loretta DevinePigfoot Mary
Recommendations
- 80
Chicago Reader
Duke is a superb director of actors, and, as in "Deep Cover", Fishburne manages to suggest a lot with a deft economy of means. - 75
ReelViews
While Chris Brancato's script doesn't reveal anything new or surprising (students of history and fans of "The Cotton Club" already know how this film ends), it's a competent piece of storytelling that incorporates elements of human interest with the threat of escalating violence. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Duke and his screenwriter, Chris Brancato, don't make Hoodlum into a violent action film, though it has its bloody shoot-outs, but into more of a character study. - 75
San Francisco Examiner
It is familiarly old-fashioned, complete with montages of newspaper clippings fluttering past and calendar days slipping by. The sets, costumes, old cars and general atmosphere all beautifully recall moviemaking of a bygone era. And for that, hats off to Duke. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Duke rarely operates at more than a TV movie-of-the-week level of originality, but Hoodlum is still an easy movie to enjoy. - 50
The New York Times
And while Mr. Duke's direction has visual panache, the movie is unevenly paced. - 50
Christian Science Monitor
Laurence Fishburne and Tim Roth play the main characters with conviction, but Bill Duke's punchy filmmaking style banishes any hope of storytelling subtlety or psychological nuance. - 40
Austin Chronicle
At the very least, Hoodlum might have been better off had it been filmed in monochromatic black-and-white instead of the garish color palette (and plenty of gore) that Duke opted for because they, unfortunately, only reinforce the hamminess of the picture.
