IMDb > Hoodlum (1997)
Hoodlum
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Hoodlum (1997) -- Black gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket.
Hoodlum (1997) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   4,233 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Chris Brancato (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Hoodlum on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 August 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Power is measured in enemies. more
Plot:
Black gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
7 nominations more
User Comments:
Ghetto Lotto more (48 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Gangster (USA) (working title)
Hoods (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for graphic ganster violence, strong language, a scene of sexuality and some nudity.
Runtime:
130 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When Tyrone the runner gets killed, during the close-up of his face, a policy slip blows by him with the number 235 on it. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Dutch exits Lucky's car onto the steps of the library, he spoofs the title of Dale Carnegie's _How to Win Friends and Influence People_, prior to the book's publication in 1936. more
Quotes:
Dutch Schultz: I remember the days when you could get a guy hit for 40 bucks.
Mike Salke: We live in inflationary times
more
Movie Connections:
References King Kong (1933) more
Soundtrack:
Steal Away more

FAQ

Is this movie historically accurate?
Why didn't Lulu keep shooting Dutch?
What exactly happens in the end?
more
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Ghetto Lotto, 14 October 2003
Author: Vince Pettijohn from SWIC

The 1997 movie `Hoodlum' takes place during the depression. A black man named Ellsworth `Bumpy' Johnson (Lawrence Fishburne) was released from prison and went back to Harlem. Then he joins his cousin, Illinois Gordon, and gets back into an illegal lottery racket ran by Madame Queen. They call the game `numbers.' They say that numbers is the only business in Harlem which provides them with work. A white man from uptown named Dutch Shultz (Tim Roth) is also trying to run the numbers downtown in Harlem, and there ends up being a battle between Shultz and the Queen. Madame goes to jail and leaves Bumpy in charge. Bumpy meets a fine woman, Francine (Vanessa Williams), who sees good in him and wants him to stop messing around with `numbers.' But she stays by his side while things get chaotic. Will he realize what he should do in time or will he lose everything?

The director Bill Duke has a message in this movie. It says when people are left limited options, they are going to find a way to get by. In one scene, Bumpy is telling Illinois because of the depression there isn't very many jobs and white men didn't leave them any jobs, so they had no options for making money other than through the numbers racket.

This movie had fast paced action. I liked the part where Dutch Shultz wants Madame Queen's organization out of the numbers racket in Harlem, so he can make all the money from it. Bumpy, who works for Madame Queen, comes up with a plan for eliminating the problem of Dutch, by getting Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia), another gangster, and Dutch in a fight. This movie is a `classic gangster movie.'







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