Hoodlum

In the midst of the 1930s Harlem Renaissance, a powerful and violent crime boss named Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) asserts his control over the lucrative numbers game in Harlem, threatening the business of Madame Queen (Cicely Tyson), who rules the illegal gambling operation. Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (Laurence Fishburne), a former enforcer for Madame Queen who was recently released from prison, returns to Harlem and becomes embroiled in a bloody turf war between Schultz and the local black mobsters. Bumpy is determined to resist Schultz's invasion and protect his community, but the violence and corruption surrounding him threaten to consume everything he loves. As the conflict between Bumpy and Schultz escalates, they both face challenges from within their own camps. Bumpy's cousin "Illinois" Gordon (Chi McBride) struggles with his own demons, while Schultz's bodyguard Lulu (Ed O'Ross) begins to question his loyalty. Meanwhile, Bumpy forms a tentative alliance with the notorious Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia), who sees the potential for profit in the conflict. As tensions boil over, innocent lives are lost and allegiances are tested. Bumpy's relationship with his girlfriend Francine (Vanessa Williams) becomes strained as she struggles to reconcile her feelings for him with his criminal lifestyle. In the midst of it all, Bumpy must confront his own demons and decide whether to pursue a life of violence or try to find a way out of the dangerous world he's trapped in. Will he survive long enough to make a choice?

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Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Hoodlum include The Usual Suspects, Catch Me If You Can, The Green Mile, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Heat, Requiem for a Dream.

Hoodlum was released in theaters on August 27, 1997.