DUKE DIRECTS GANGLAND-STYLE CHESS GAME; STRATEGY WINS HARLEM WAR IN `HOODLUM'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Writer

Bill Duke's passionate interests in the past and the future come together in the actor-turned-director's latest feature film, ``Hoodlum.'' An epic look at the Depression-era heyday of ``Harlem Godfather'' Ellsworth ``Bumpy'' Johnson, ``Hoodlum'' explores a little-known aspect of African-American history while, Duke hopes, imparting strong lessons to today's youth.

``Don't misunderstand me; this guy was not an angel,'' Duke says of the ruthless urban folk hero. ``But this is really a film about redemption, about a guy who started out trying to do the right thing and ended up taking on the values of the very individuals he wanted to defeat.

``The message I was trying to put out in this film - especially for these young knuckleheads who think that killing somebody and blood-spattering is like they see in the movies - is that there are consequences to every life you take, which is imperative for one to consider before taking that action.''

A lot of lives end violently in ``Hoodlum,'' which Duke admits mixes historical events with fictional characters and creative license. The main narrative is built around Johnson's successful efforts to keep control of

Harlem's numbers racket despite Dutch Schultz's vigorous attempt to muscle in. Playing the renegade gangster off against New York mob boss Lucky Luciano, Johnson ultimately outlasted them both, became a pillar of the community and even a key figure in the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and '60s.

Even with its scope limited to the 1930s, Duke's film sprawls across huge slices of social and cultural history. Laurence Fishburne, who starred in Duke's ``Deep Cover,'' plays Johnson; English actor Tim Roth is the volatile Schultz and Andy Garcia the cagey Luciano; Vanessa L. Williams is the composite love interest Francine Hughes, and Cicely Tyson portrays Stephanie St. Clair, a real-life figure who was Johnson's criminal mentor.

``Bumpy Johnson did go up against Dutch Schultz and won by using his strategic skills,'' says Duke, 54, whose eclectic directing resume includes ``A Rage in Harlem,'' ``Sister Act 2,'' ``The Cemetery Club'' and a number of prestigious TV movies and series episodes. ``He would have lost totally if he had directly fought the mob. But he was a chess player; people from all over the country came to play him and he beat them.''

Good public relations 

Johnson also knew the value of presenting a Robin Hood image to an oppressed people. He supported hospitals and orphanages with his ill-gotten gains, and even footed the bill for Malcolm X's funeral. When his own time came in 1968, Johnson did not die from one of 28 reported assassination attempts, but of a heart attack while eating chicken and waffles in his favorite restaurant.

Quite a life. And Duke hopes Fishburne's portrayal will help make Johnson's name as instantly recognizable as Lucky's and the Dutchman's are in American outlaw lore.

``The intriguing thing about Laurence Fishburne is his silent moments,'' Duke observes. ``He's not afraid to commit to the soul of a character. Even when the role requires him to do bad things, his humanity comes through. That's the hardest thing to do with the kind of films I make because I deal with people who don't do nice things all the time. But I want you to realize that they're human beings.''

Not only have Bumpy Johnson's exploits been overlooked by mainstream American history; his old stomping grounds have been neglected as well. Duke found it impossible to film the story on the actual locations where it happened.

``I wanted to go to Harlem, but as you know it's been desecrated in the sense that urban renewal just never came,'' says Duke, who grew up north of the city in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. ``Except for a few brownstones, the historic buildings there have been allowed to fall and crumble.

``But you can go for a three- or four-square-block radius in Chicago and find buildings from the early 1900s in mint condition. They have a great deal of respect for architecture - it's a Frank Lloyd Wright kind of town, you know what I'm saying? - and for a filmmaker, it was heaven.''

Except when the politicians came to town. ``Hoodlum's'' Chicago production schedule had to be reworked during last summer's Democratic National Convention. ``We had explosions and speed chases going that week, but they wouldn't even let us fire gunshots,'' Duke recalls, laughing. ``The mayor asked the Secret Service to ease up on us, but no go.''

Get with the programming

Seeing the past neglected inspired Duke to redouble his efforts to ensure the future. He's put his acting career on hold - a shame for those who enjoyed his wry, droopy-eyed presence in films ranging from ``Car Wash'' to ``Bird on a Wire,'' ``Predator'' and ``Menace II Society'' - to concentrate on Internet programming. His comprehensive ``Hoodlum'' page (www.hoodlumonline.com) recently won Web magazine's monthly Best Film Site Award.

``It's very important to me to provide content for new media,'' Duke says. ``Especially in terms of minorities, I have a big fear of a gap developing between the information-rich and the information-poor. That's a very important thing that we have to attend to, and it's not only minorities. People in general aren't aware of the fact that we're moving from an industrial age to an information age and the implications of that.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Harlem gangster Ellsworth ``Bumpy'' Johnson (Laurence Fishburne), left, confronts mobster Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth), right, in ``Hoodlum.''

(2) Fishburne, left, director Bill Duke and producer Frank Mancuso Jr. on location in Chicago.