HOODLUM stars Laurence Fishburne in a powerful performance as Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, the notorious Harlem gangster of the 1930s. Director Bill Duke mixes a sumptuous visual style with a message of black empowerment. Bumpy gets out of prison and goes to work for the Harlem numbers powerhouse known as Madam Queen (Cicely Tyson), bringing him into conflict with the psychopathic Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth), who is trying to take over the numbers racket in Harlem. As the blood flows through Harlem streets, those around Bumpy begin to question his methods-- and his morals.