Leofwine_draca THE HOODLUM is a film noir starring one of cinema's true hard men, Laurence Tierney, an actor who was by all accounts just as volatile and scary off the screen as he was on it. Certainly his larger than life presence is exploited to the full in this otherwise uninteresting thriller that desperately lacks a sympathetic character.The story sees Tierney's small-time crook planning a big heist and generally abusing everybody around him, even his own family members. There's implied sexual violence and a general ill feeling towards everyone. Of course the viewer can guess right from the outset what's going to happen to Tierney come the end but this is about the journey there. Sadly, it's not a very interesting journey, too constrained by budgetary deficiency to truly impress or indeed entertain.

LeonLouisRicci This Film would Never have been Made by a Major Studio in 1951. It is just too Damn Bleak and Unglamorous. A Depressing but Determined Film-Noir that Teamed Lawrence Tierney with Cult Director Max Nosseck. They Together Made Dillinger (1945) that Enriched a Low-Rent Studio with Millions and Critical Acclaim.But that was then and this is Now. Both Tierney and Nosseck were at a Career Near Bottom and that Desperation is Felt in Every Frame of this Glum, Guttural Movie. You can Almost Smell the Stench of the Garbage Dump where the Tierney Character Grew Up as Mom Relives the Past Indignation with some Relief that Her Other (Good) Son has Managed to be Successful Enough to Move Them a Few Blocks Away. But Not Far Enough According to the other (Bad) Son.For a Movie with Absolutely No Budget, it is a Captivating Crime Caper that Moves Quickly and Viewed Today has a Cynicism Found in Only the Best Film-Noirs. There is a Sub-Plot of Pre-Marital Sex Resulting in Pregnancy and Suicide (are we having fun yet?). Tierney's Hoodlum is Nothing but that. No Redeeming Qualities as He has Committed Crimes at an Ever Accelerating Rate of Recidivism that is the Kind of Thing that is Used by Conservatives for More Stringent Incarceration Laws. This is an Underrated, Undiscovered, Example of Street Level Movie Making at its Most Minimal. A Gloomy, Gut-Check about Social Standings and Environmental Effect on the Poverty Stricken and the Good-Brother-Bad-Brother Result that can Emerge from the Depressed Digs with a Choice. Highly Recommended for Fans of Film-Noir, B-Movies, Socially Relevant Films, and just Good Old Fashioned, Hard-Boiled, Gritty Crime Movies with Bite.

kidboots Vince is a career criminal who has been getting into trouble since he was a child. As played by granite faced Tierney, he is completely believable - he is a complete creep.When the film opens he has served 5 years when his mother pleads for his release so he can mend his ways - something he has no intention of doing. He resents having to work with his brother Joey, (real life brother Edward) earning an honest wage as a mechanic. He starts to gather some cronies around him and to plan an armoured car robbery.Joey's girl Maria thinks people should give him a chance. Unfortunately for Maria, she is raped by Vincent, finds she is pregnant and then kills herself when he refuses to marry her. Then he tries to make out that it is Joey's fault. The robbery goes ahead but the thieves fall out as Vince wants the major portion of money for himself.It is a very gritty, unrelenting drama especially as a showcase for Tierney. Only Lisa Golm, as the mother didn't ring true. I can't imagine a tough police board listening to a mother's pleas and releasing a criminal that obviously can't be rehabilitated.

Hitchcoc This is a very harsh movie about a very harsh man. It has the scene where the elderly mother comes to the parole board and begs them to let her little boy go. They oblige and that sets the events in motion. The man is a sociopath, using anyone who gets in his way. He is bad to the bone. He plots a big heist and never stops until it is accomplished. Unfortunately there are forces working against. The final scene with his mother is quite striking and can't help but pull a manipulative tear from anyone. The movie goes along quickly with us wondering if the guy will ever see the light. One of the weaknesses is that we are more tuned into victims and when it becomes obvious that this guy is barely human, we see him as a force rather than a man. It's nicely filmed and brings that blackness where criminals chose to be criminals and it was the job of the law to put them away. It's interesting for its time.