By Julia Shih
Daily Film Editor
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| As you can see, Laurence Fishburne is a bad, bad man: he struts down the street with his big gun in his fist. |
Academy Award nominee Laurence Fishburne ("What's Love Got to Do With It?") leads an all-star ensemble cast in the gritty epic drama, "Hoodlum." Also starring Acadamy Award nominee Tim Roth ("Pulp Fiction") and another nominee, Andy Garcia, "Hoodlum" is kept alive by stellar performances from it's big three, despite a muddy plot.
Fishburne plays Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, a lifetime hoodlum fresh out of Sing Sing in 1934. He returns to the old neighborhood only to find that gangster Dutch Schultz (Roth) is trying to muscle in on the numbers racket. Bumpy's help is enlisted by the Queen of Policy who runs the operation, and when she is jailed, Bumpy is entrusted to take over the business.
| REVIEW | |
|---|---|
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Hoodlum
2 stars |
The plot of "Hoodlum" is overly complicated and extremely hard to follow. The alliances between the different gangsters are often confusing or ambiguously defined, with the motivations behind many of the characters' actions seemingly nonexistent. Many of the problems are caused by how the filmmakers base much of the movement of the plot on audience inferences. Viewers are often expected to have a fine understanding of the crime world and it's mechanics, leaving those who are not clear about the rules of action and retaliation completely befuddled. With most viewers wasting a lot of concentration trying to figure out what is going on, a lot of the film's aesthetics and action are easily lost.
Director Bill Duke contributes both to the film's beauty and to its confusion. He attempts to break many conventions of the classic Hollywood narrative, an approach that at times produces incredible shot sequences and makes the story more compelling, but at other times gives the film an awkward feel.
The setting of "Hoodlum," with its vintage cars, clothes and music, is an amazing backdrop to the acting. When combined with spectacular performances by the actors, audiences are completely immersed in the violent, urban world of Harlem in the '30s.
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| Fishburne woos and caresses former beauty queen and nudie mag pinup Vanessa Williams. |
Roth plays the impulsive loose cannon who is out to take over the world. His character's personality is harsh and grating, but Roth plays it to perfection. Garcia is also riveting, playing Lucky Luciano as a cold-blooded but intelligent man.
Chi McBride is also incredible as Illinois Gordon, Bumpy's cousin and right-hand man. Best known as the wise-cracking janitor on "The John Larroquette Show," McBride shows his range in this head-turning performance. He proves himself to be a promising young actor who viewers should look for in the future.
The rise and fall of Harlem legend Bumpy Johnson is a volatile one both on a private and public level. While "Hoodlum" tries to re-create this, it is much too fragmented and confusing to provide a compelling narrative. With so much effort and concentration needed to sort out the messy plot, many people will choose to sleep through this long movie rather than work through it.
09-03-97
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