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The Godfather of Harlem: Film Review

The Godfather of Harlem is a crime TV show that is based on the story of Harlem’s crime lord Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson played by the legendary Forest Whitaker. Johnson was a figure with immense power and influence in his time. The series specifically focuses on Johnson’s life but only towards the end. It begins with Johnson coming out of the Alcatraz Prison and going back to Harlem where he found a lot has changed. The local black community is in dire need of a hero and the atmosphere has created a market choice for criminal mobs. Johnson is still wealthy, has a beautiful family except for her junky daughter and significant influence but a lot of things are not the same. His old friend Malcolm X a role played by Nigel Thatch gave up hustling a long time ago and is focused on preaching for the Nation of Islam. The same old vendettas remain the same just with a change of character like the Italian mob leader Vincent “The Chin” Gigante a role played by Vincent D’Onofrio who is filling the streets with heroin almost beyond the demand and refuses to give Johnson a piece. This paper does a review of the series and gives reasons as to why it is worth the time.

The actors/casting hold the show perfectly together with Forest Whitaker is creates a vision of Johnson in a manner that one would not imagine a different person in that role. The work is, of course, an ensemble piece that makes it insolent and an engaging bit of television that on a couple of instances falters under the burden of its ambition to cover numerous accounts at a go. This show plays with nostalgia from the second half of the 20th Century with a depiction of a racially at odds, corrupt and in more than occasion degenerate society that rings just as true as today. The TV series bows at a level of “pretty good” and from time to time does even better. The casting of Whitaker D’Onofrio and Giancarlo Esposito who plays a local minister turned congressional representative makes any kind of television piece worth watching, and an outstanding Nigel Thatch matches them.

The sharp writing of the show’s creator Chris Brancato who has also written Narcos another crime thriller based on the story of Pablo Escobar the most notorious cocaine dealer yet gives the Godfather of Harlem fine performances. These performances make perfect use of real-life historical characters. From one perspective, the show is good entertainment owing to the superb cast and terrific production values and on another, it applies the melodrama of a crime thriller to reconnoiter themes about race in a manner not available in your usual crime thriller. Watching the show with the idea of an overly abstract study of Johnson is completely misplaced. Its purpose is entertainment on a level that is basically melodramatic. At the beginning of the show, the audience is cautioned by a disclaimer that the who has to fabricate slightly although it is based on true events for the sake of drama. The TV show delivers what the audience expects in a manner that is stylish. The verdict on these TV series is that its good entertainment and an excellent piece to watch. This is more so due to its slickness and meaning as a film category that is focused on an African American historical character.