Harlem, NYC - The Price of Power
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Harlem, NYC - The Price of Power |
| Original title | Hoodlum |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1997 |
| length | 125 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Bill Duke |
| script | Chris Brancato |
| production | Chris Brancato Laurence Fishburne Frank Mancuso Jr. |
| music | Elmer Bernstein |
| camera | Frank Tidy |
| cut | Harry Keramidas |
| occupation | |
| |
The price of power - Harlem, NYC is an American film drama by Bill Duke from the year 1997 .
action
The film takes place in the late twenties and early 1930s and tells about the gang war between the New York mafia around Lucky Luciano and Dutch Schultz on the one hand and the gangsters around Stephanie St. Clair and Bumpy Johnson from Harlem on the other. Fictitious events are also shown.
The petty crook Bumpy Johnson is released from prison. He succeeds in advancing rapidly in the gang of Stephanie St. Clair, who controls the gambling in Harlem as Madame St. Clair , and soon becomes her right-hand man.
It doesn't take long for the Mafia to take their share of the profits. Since Bumpy Johnson and Madame St. Claire initially refuse, the dispute with Dutch Schultz over control of the so-called Harlem street lottery increases steadily. After Madame St. Clair is sentenced to prison by a corrupt judge and Bumpy takes over the leadership alone, the violence escalates and an open gang war ensues.
The bloody clashes displease the corrupt district attorney Thomas Dewey , who sees his own interests endangered by the growing media coverage of the acts of violence. He calls on Dutch Schutz and Lucky Luciano to end the gang war, whereupon they meet with Johnson and other Mafia leaders to come to an agreement to end the gang war.
After some hesitation, Bumpy Johnson agrees to work with Lucky Luciano and at the same time sets a trap for Dutch Schultz by agreeing to have his books checked by Luciano's accountant. However, he does not intend to show his books there, but leaks information about the planned meeting, so that Dutch Schultz (legitimately) suspects treason, also appears there and shoots Luciano's accountant.
Only afterwards does Schultz realize that this meeting arranged by Bumpy Johnson served to turn Luciano against him. Dutch Schultz is shot dead by a paid killer from among his own ranks. To avoid further arguments, Bumpy Johnson ultimately buys the protection of Attorney Dewey and hands over sole control back to Madame St. Claire.
Reviews
- James Berardinelli : The audience is captivated at every point in the film. The plot is not surprising, but the narrative is competent. The representations are first class. Fishburne is hypnotizing, he portrays the emotions in a subtle and effective way. The film is possibly the best gangster film since " The Untouchables " by Brian De Palma .
Awards
- 1998: Nominations for the Black Film Award (Black Film Festival Acapulco)
- Best Actor for Laurence Fishburne
- for Cicely Tyson best actress
- best director for Bill Duke
- Best movie
- 1998: nominations for the Image Award
- Best Actor for Laurence Fishburne
- for Cicely Tyson best actress
- for Clarence Williams III best supporting actor
Trivia
- The film was shot in Chicago .
- US cinemas grossed over $ 23 million.
- Despite adaptations from reality, the film deviates from it in some relevant points:
- Thomas E. Dewey , the district attorney was not corrupt and became governor of New York State
- Dutch Schultz took control of the number game and was later liquidated by the National Crime Syndicate .
Web links
- Harlem, NYC - The price of power in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Harlem, NYC - The price of power at Rotten Tomatoes (English)