Thursday, October 24, 2019

Godfather of Harlem: A Review



This is a tv series on EPIX which is a prequel to the movie American Gangster. The show is centered around mob boss Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (played by Forest Whitaker) in Harlem in the early 1960's. Most of the action is centered on pushback from Harlem gangsters to Italian organized crime regarding control of the heroin dealing.

The show so far has Johnson (somewhat) resisting heroin flooding the streets of Harlem--but the reality is Johnson was partnered with the Italian mafia in bringing heroin to Harlem in the first place. Given the current scourge of opioids in America--what started in the sixties was a just the tip of the spear.

It is a good thing Whitaker is a strong actor, because Malcom X (played by Nigél Thatch) comes real close to stealing the show. Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (played by Giancarlo Esposito) and Cassius Clay (just before his name change to Mohammed Ali and played by Deric Augustine) also make appearances.

So far so good (they are at episode four). It is a fictionalized account based on real life characters. The writing and acting are mostly excellent. Update: Trooper York points out a lot of the mafia details are wrong, but he also likes the show too (thanks for the kudos).


Bumpy Johnson's wife Mayme is played by the effervescent Ilfenesh Hadera:







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2 comments:

  1. You missed out on the best performance in the piece. Vincent "Private Pyle" D'Onofrio as Vinnie the Chin." They get all the Mafia details wrong but it is still the best performance in the show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that D'Orofrio rocks at 'Vinnie the Chin.' But I kept gettting distracted whenever Chazz Palminteri (playing Joe Bananas) shows up. Is that make up or his actual face?

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