Hoodlum

As generic as its title. A compendium of every gangster-flick motif known to man, this lethargic portrait of the rise and fall of legendary Harlem crook Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson is distinguished only by the skin color of its run-of-the-mill assortment of ambitious smalltime hoods, a novelty that can only compensate for so long. Laurence Fishburne's performance as Bumpy is first-rate--especially in an electrifying scene in which he demands to know just who the heck put almonds on his banana split--but everything else is strictly dullsville; I kept myself awake by counting the number of other movies to which it "pays homage," and got bored of that once I'd hit a baker's dozen. I suspect that Hollywood has exhausted the genre utterly. Not recommended. (M. D'Angelo)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—July 26, 2016—Olive, 130 min., R, DVD: $14.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1997's Hoodlum features a fine transfer and a DTS 5.1 soundtrack, but no extras. Bottom line: a derivative gangster film makes a barebones entrance on Blu-ray.]