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Hoodlum (1997) 6.2
Ratings:
6.2/10 from 7,794 users
Metascore: 50/100
Reviews: 55 user | 39 critic | 17 from Metacritic.com Black gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket. Director:Bill DukeWriter:Chris Brancato |
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Title: Hoodlum (1997)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | ||
| Tim Roth | ... | ||
| Vanessa Williams | ... | ||
| Andy Garcia | ... | ||
| Cicely Tyson | ... | ||
| Chi McBride | ... | ||
| Clarence Williams III | ... | ||
| Richard Bradford | ... |
Captain Foley
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| William Atherton | ... | ||
| Loretta Devine | ... |
Pigfoot Mary
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| Queen Latifah | ... | ||
| Mike Starr | ... |
Albert Salke
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Beau Starr | ... |
Jules Salke
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Paul Benjamin | ... | |
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Joe Guzaldo | ... | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
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". Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
They had it all. It cost them everything. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for graphic ganster violence, strong language, a scene of sexuality and some nudity | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 August 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Gangster See more »Filming Locations:
Between Cermak Road & 23rd Street, Michigan Avenue, Near South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$30,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$23,461,013 (USA) (7 November 1997)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Mike Salke: We live in inflationary times
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Did You Know?
Trivia
In Lucky Luciano's introductory scene, in which he pulls up to Dutch Schultz's office in a limo, he gets out of the car and passes a pet Chihuahua dog to one of his men saying "Take Bambi for a walk." In real life, Lucky Luciano did own a dog called Bambi. However, he bought the dog in Sicily after he'd been deported from the United States in 1946. Luciano had named the dog after the movie Bambi (1942). Yet in this movie, he is seen with the dog in the 1934-1935 time period, before the release of that movie and before he actually bought the dog. See more »Goofs
An on-screen title card reads "December, 1934", and an exterior shot shows a building with green grass surrounding it, and the sun shining brightly. In New York in December, the ground should be covered with snow. In the following scene, Dutch Schultz is having a meeting while a Yankees game is playing on the radio in the background. A baseball game wouldn't be in December! See more »Quotes
Dutch Schultz: I remember the days when you could get a guy hit for 40 bucks.Mike Salke: We live in inflationary times
See more »
The 1997 movie `Hoodlum' takes place during the depression. A black man named Ellsworth `Bumpy' Johnson (Lawrence Fishburne) was released from prison and went back to Harlem. Then he joins his cousin, Illinois Gordon, and gets back into an illegal lottery racket ran by Madame Queen. They call the game `numbers.' They say that numbers is the only business in Harlem which provides them with work. A white man from uptown named Dutch Shultz (Tim Roth) is also trying to run the numbers downtown in Harlem, and there ends up being a battle between Shultz and the Queen. Madame goes to jail and leaves Bumpy in charge. Bumpy meets a fine woman, Francine (Vanessa Williams), who sees good in him and wants him to stop messing around with `numbers.' But she stays by his side while things get chaotic. Will he realize what he should do in time or will he lose everything?
The director Bill Duke has a message in this movie. It says when people are left limited options, they are going to find a way to get by. In one scene, Bumpy is telling Illinois because of the depression there isn't very many jobs and white men didn't leave them any jobs, so they had no options for making money other than through the numbers racket.
This movie had fast paced action. I liked the part where Dutch Shultz wants Madame Queen's organization out of the numbers racket in Harlem, so he can make all the money from it. Bumpy, who works for Madame Queen, comes up with a plan for eliminating the problem of Dutch, by getting Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia), another gangster, and Dutch in a fight. This movie is a `classic gangster movie.'