Cornet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere) finds himself caught in the middle of mobster rivalry in the 1920s in Francis Coppola's stylish gangster film. He gets a job in Harlem's famous Cotton Club, run by gangland overlord Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins), while his brother gets a job as Dutch Schultz's (James Remar) bodyguard. Threads of three different stories intertwine to reach an exciting climax, involving dancer Gregory Hines, Gere, Remar and Hoskins. The film looks great and, despite a script that is a little too bumpy, keeps on the boil right to the end. Hoskins and sidekick Fred Gwynne are excellent, as is Hines, who dances up a storm with his brother Maurice. In fact the only problem is Gere, whose performance is flat and uninteresting. He apparently did all his own cornet solos for the film. Maybe he should have concentrated on the acting rather than blow his own trumpet. The music is great - all Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway numbers. Particularly good is Larry Marshall who, playing Calloway, does a brilliant version of 'Minnie the Moocher'. Tom Waits, Larry Fishburne, Jennifer Grey and Nicolas Cage can be spotted in supporting roles.

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