Hoodlum
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: August 27, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
5
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
While Chris Brancato's script doesn't reveal anything new or surprising (students of history and fans of "The Cotton Club" already know how this film ends), it's a competent piece of storytelling that incorporates elements of human interest with the threat of escalating violence. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
And while Mr. Duke's direction has visual panache, the movie is unevenly paced. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
At the very least, Hoodlum might have been better off had it been filmed in monochromatic black-and-white instead of the garish color palette (and plenty of gore) that Duke opted for because they, unfortunately, only reinforce the hamminess of the picture. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Duke and his screenwriter, Chris Brancato, don't make Hoodlum into a violent action film, though it has its bloody shoot-outs, but into more of a character study. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Hoodlum is an overlong gangster movie, a bloated and often laughable attempt at an epic. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
It is familiarly old-fashioned, complete with montages of newspaper clippings fluttering past and calendar days slipping by. The sets, costumes, old cars and general atmosphere all beautifully recall moviemaking of a bygone era. And for that, hats off to Duke. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Duke rarely operates at more than a TV movie-of-the-week level of originality, but Hoodlum is still an easy movie to enjoy. Read full review
10
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
A conclusion featuring a dizzying string of betrayals that leads to a confusing anti-climax robs the film of even cheap action thrills, making Hoodlum an almost thoroughly forgettable experience, albeit probably the only film in history to unite Queen Latifah and The Mod Squad's Clarence Williams III. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Duke is a superb director of actors, and, as in "Deep Cover", Fishburne manages to suggest a lot with a deft economy of means. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Laurence Fishburne and Tim Roth play the main characters with conviction, but Bill Duke's punchy filmmaking style banishes any hope of storytelling subtlety or psychological nuance. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The director, Bill Duke ("A Rage in Harlem"), stages all of this with proficient confidence, yet he never truly summons the operatic power of the genre -- the pulp tragedy of ambition built on (and drowned in) blood. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Laurence Fishburne is one actor who has charisma to burn, but even his incendiary performance can't ignite Hoodlum, a would-be gangster epic that generates less heat than a nickel cigar. [27Aug1997 Pg 8]
70
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Too long by about 20 minutes, the film drags a bit, but the acting--fine throughout--carries the whole thing. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineSandra Contreras
Uneven and inaccurate as it may be, it's hard to wash out entirely with a movie that explores as neglected an aspect of classic gangster mythology as this one; at the same time, you can't help but wish it did so more successfully. Read full review
70
VarietyLeonard Klady
Director Bill Duke renders the period saga with passion, but lacks the sort of fluid, organic style the material requires; the film falls short of its aim for mythic proportion. Still, there's a vibrancy that's engrossing, if uneven. Read full review
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
You can feel Hoodlum hungering to be bigger than it possibly can be. It wants to be "The Godfather" of African Americans, a vast tale of crime and heroism and nerve and ambition. But it tries too hard and ends up feeling spotty rather than deep. [27Aug1997 Pg D.01] Read full review
75
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
The Sting-like ending with its crosses and double-crosses could have been better handled, but there are plenty of other payoffs in Hoodlum. [27Aug1995 Pg02.D]
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