‘Hoodlum’ doesn’t reach potential
Solid cast, plot can’t save
poorly directed crime flick
By Cliff Hicks
Film Critic
You know, “Hoodlum” had the
potential to be a great film. It has
a bunch of great actors, a fasci
nating theme, a great story and a
powerful message. With all of
this, it’s a tough thing to see how
director Bill Duke botched this
one up so badly.
The story is adapted from the
true tale of Ellsworth “Bumpy”
Johnson (Laurence Fishburne),
an ex-con who goes back to the
criminal underworld to help pro
tect the only family he’s ever
known - a crime boss known as
the Queen - from an encroaching
opponent mobster, Dutch Schultz
(Tim Roth).
Over the course of the story,
the Queen is imprisoned, and the
operation is turned over to
Johnson, who eventually
becomes corrupted by the power
as the war rises between him and
Schultz. Throughout the ordeal,
Lucky Luciano, the crime boss of
New York, tries to play both sides
and pick the winner.
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a v i a v 11 vi vuii, x i juu ui u v ,
Roth and Garcia put on outstand
ing performances. Fishburne’s
descent from Robin Hood to
hoodlum is a veritable tour-de
force, almost on par with his per
formance in “Othello.” Roth’s
twitchy gangster comes across as
Christopher Walken on 12 pots of
coffee. Garcia’s tranquillity
helps round out the mix of noto
rious underworld figures.
So with all of this acting, it
would seem like the film would
make itself. It doesn’t.
All of the acting gems don’t
come until after almost 80 min
utes of snail’s-pace dialogue,
sparse action and camera shots
I
The Facts
Title: “Hoodlum”
Stars: Laurence Rishbume, Tim Roth,
Vanessa Williams, Andy Garcia
Director: Bill Duke
Rating: R (violence, language, mature
themes)
Grade: C
Five Words: Director the real crook here
that linger far too long on
scenery and generally uninterest
ing mishmash. The meat of the
story doesn’t begin until well
into the picture.
Duke has a habit of panning
across in an attempt to make the
film seem more epic, but in
doing so he robs the story of
what makes it interesting in the
first place. The 1930s were a
time full of life and vigor. It was
jazz and flappers, gangsters and
gumshoes. Rather than focus on
any of this, we’re treated to bor
ing hallways and stairwells.
The sets all look authentic,Ij
thmiah it matps vmi wish thpi
director actually did something
with them. When only 40 min
utes of the two-hour, 24-minute
show remains, Fishburne finally
shows us the dynamic acting that
should have been central to the
entire film.
It’s unfortunate that by the
time Roth and Fishburne really
start to butt heads, most of the
audience is either asleep or has
left, because the story line has a
great point to it. The fact of that
matter is that Duke just drops the
ball too much with the beginning
of the film for viewers to really
care about the ending, as great as
it may be.
- . 1
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