HOODLUM
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 8/27/97 (limited) Running Length: 2:10 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, brief nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Andy Garcia, Vanessa L. Williams, Chi McBride, Clarence Williams III, Cicely Tyson, William Atherton, Loretta Devine Director: Bill Duke Producer: Frank Mancuso Jr. Screenplay: Chris Brancato Cinematography: Frank Tidy Music: Elmer Bernstein U.S. Distributor: United Artists
There's something about a well-made gangster movie that never fails to captivate an audience. The romance surrounding the mob, with its seductive lure of wealth, power, and family, is undeniable. The curious mix of violence and charm, with the implicit threat of death lurking behind every toothy smile, adds luster to the mystery. Since its early days, Hollywood has recognized the appeal of mob stories, and some of the best films of all time -- including THE GODFATHER and GOODFELLAS -- have belonged to the genre.
HOODLUM is a period-piece gangster film, harkening back to Depression-era Harlem. While Al Capone was king in Chicago, Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia) ruled New York, parceling out the city to members of his "Sicilian Syndicate." The 1930s were the mob's heyday, when no cop, special prosecutor, or judge was too expensive to buy, and when the only real law was the one laid down by Luciano or one of his many "associates." Of course, in a place as big as New York, there were bound to be wild cards. One was Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth), a former partner of Luciano's whose forays into the uptown numbers racket put him on a collision course with the Queen of Harlem, Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson), and her trustworthy friend and protector, Bumpy Johnson (Laurence Fishburne). The resulting turf war between Schultz and the St. Clair/Johnson camp littered the streets of Harlem with bodies, and threatened the mob's security in New York when the violence spread to downtown targets.
The story told in HOODLUM is similar to the one related in Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 feature, THE COTTON CLUB. The setting is the same, many of the characters are the same, and certain aspects of the storylines intersect. The perspective, however, is different. Unlike THE COTTON CLUB, which focused on the lives of many of the "normal" people who frequented and played in the nightclub, HOODLUM, as Bumpy's story, is a relatively straightforward gangster yarn that melds fact with fiction to create a dramatically compelling two hours.
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. Director Bill Duke (A RAGE IN HARLEM) guides the movie with a firm hand, never allowing the almost-mystical aura of the era to overcome the characters. At times, HOODLUM has the feel of an epic, although certain dubious editing choices (probably made to reduce the running time) mute the effectiveness of several relationships. For example, the love affair between Bumpy and his girlfriend, Francine (Vanessa L. Williams), is developed in fits and starts, with a "musical montage" used to condense several loving months into a minute of screen time.
The acting is top notch. As Bumpy, Fishburne is mesmerizing, displaying his range as an actor by subtly and effectively presenting the variety of emotions that lurk just beneath Bumpy's seemingly-placid exterior. Actually, this is the second time Fishburne has played this role, although his screen time here is considerably more substantial than in THE COTTON CLUB, where he first essayed the part. (THE COTTON CLUB character, despite being named "Bumpy Rhodes", was meant to represent Johnson.) Tim Roth, the versatile British actor who has portrayed almost every kind of character imaginable during his career, brings a flamboyant mix of impatience and casual viciousness to Dutch Schultz. Andy Garcia, on the other hand, is low-key in his approach to Lucky Luciano, presenting the famed mobster as charismatic, urbane, and intelligent, with only a hint of the danger he represents. Of the supporting players, only Vanessa L. Williams seems off-key. Chi McBride (as Bumpy's cousin and right-hand man, Illinois) and Clarence Williams III (as one of Schultz's most dangerous henchmen) are memorable.
For a film that meticulously develops a '30s atmosphere and pays careful attention to certain details (such as the droop of Luciano's right eyelid and the authenticity of his pinky ring), the one very obvious gaffe comes across as jarring. Immediately following an on- screen caption of "December 1934," HOODLUM cuts to an indoor scene where several men are listening to the radio play-by-play of a Yankees game. Baseball in December? Fortunately, none of the film's other mistakes are as blatant.
Overall, HOODLUM represents a very respectable entry into the ever- popular gangster genre, and may be the best tale of this sort from the era since Brian DePalma's THE UNTOUCHABLES. Also, the movie's decision to approach the situation from the point-of-view of several black characters lends a fresh angle to a fairly well-known historical account. For, although HOODLUM is not the definitive chronicle of New York mob activity during the 1930s, its contribution should not be overlooked.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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