Cotton Club (1984)

Cotton Club: Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. With Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee. Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner and guests (e.g. gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-30s Harlem.

“inspired by photographs of the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem, some shots appear exactly as they were (now in colour). I noticed Dutch Schultzu0026#39;s slumped pose when he is shot is exactly that of the police photograph, though he died several hours later (see William Burroughs u0026quot;The Last Words Of Dutch Schultzu0026quot;). The actors often play too broad (Diane Lane), and Richard Gere shows his lazy, grinning acting here too. However, many notable smaller roles for Gregory Hines (and his brother), Bob Hoskins, Laurence Fishburne and others who make it well worth watching. It is true that $40 million could have been used better, but when you consider both Bob Evans and Coppolau0026#39;s involvement it seems with hindsight that they were asking for trouble. The music deserves special credit, as do the tap sequences (which i gather were shortened and some cut – what a shame). Mostly Duke Ellington classics. As iu0026#39;ve already suggested the look is a perfect recreation of the time, but sadly the plot is patchy, some dialogue weak and it has been said before – there is no chemistry between the romantic leads. 9/10”