Hoodlum is a 1997 crime film that gives a fictionalized account of the gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia alliance and the black gangsters of Harlem that took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The film concentrated on Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Laurence Fishburne), Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth), and Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia). The film is notable in that it casts Johnson as the ring leader in Schultz's death, influencing Luciano into committing the crime himself. The accepted viewpoint is quite different: Schultz is believed to have been killed by Murder Inc., a group which is only tangentially related to Luciano, due to his threats towards District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Johnson, who freely cooperated with Schultz following his takeover, is not known to have taken a part in his death. While the film also shows Dewey accepting payoffs from the mob, there is no evidence for this, historical or hearsay.
Glumačka postava:
Laurence Fishburne
Tim Roth
Vanessa L. Williams
Andy Garcia
Cicely Tyson
Plot:
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".
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSvK7T6UASk
Poster:
