Hoodlum

OscarÂ(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)

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