Customer Reviews

The Hoodlum

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've owned two public-domain versions of this vicious, bare-bones B-flick and recently upgraded to Image's comparably inexpensive release despite the dire warnings of other reviewers on this site. While I still would only recommend the movie itself to fans of Tierney, or those interested in noir's darker subgenres, I'm happy to report that Image's print is far superior to what you'll find in the bargain bin. There are specks and audio pops, yes, but the picture is much cleaner, the contrast sharper and the sound clearer. Until a major distributor adopts 'The Hoodlum' and performs a proper rehabilitation, Image is hands-down the way to go.

While I agree with the previous reviewer's comments on the disappointing technical quality of this disc--or at least the source material--I still found "The Hoodlum" an interesting way of spending 60 minutes. This 1951 "B" movie will still appeal to fans of old gangster flicks and "films noir".

The plot is familiar. Vincent Lubeck is a career criminal, and definitely the "black sheep" of his family. Because of Vincent's numerous crimes, and prison sentences, we are told that his father "died of a broken heart". His mother is in a constant state of worry, and his younger brother, Johnny, holds him in contempt. He is paroled from prison because of his mother's pleadings, but Vincent has no real interest in "going straight", even though his brother gives him a job at his gas station. Contacting some of his old cronies, Vincent plans and carries out a bank heist--a heist that results in several fatalities. A showdown with the police seems inevitable--but perhaps there are "family issues" to be settled first.

Lawrence Tierney is terrific as Vincent. This man is a thug, a thief, a liar, a rapist and a killer--a soulless, remorseless excuse for a human being. Mr. Tierney is totally convincing in this role, although in films like "Dillinger" and "Born To Kill", you could say that he had plenty of practice ! Other screen "tough guys" of the forties and fifties are still remembered today--Alan Ladd, Dan Duryea and, of course, Cagney and Bogart--except with genre fans, Lawrence Tierney seems to be forgotten, which is a shame. Certainly, in this type of role, the man had real presence.

Lawrence Tierney's brother, Edward, plays Johnny Lubeck--an interesting piece of casting, although his performance is no more than adequate. Lisa Golm, as Lubeck's mother, has several strong scenes--her final one with the "son from Hell" is a pip !

Again, the black and white, full-screen picture has much "wear and tear", even a few scene jumps, clearly taken from an old, flawed print. I suppose it beats having no film at all. Don't look for extras.

If you can overlook the technical quality, "The Hoodlum" is a very diverting, if somewhat bleak, hour's entertainment. For this viewer at least, Mr. Tierney is worth the "price of admission".

The movie itself is a wonderful film noir and Laurence Tierney was born to play this part. Image Entertainment's release, on the other hand, is a disgrace. They are consistently using very poor images of great movies and sell them at overblown prices. 'Too Late for Tears', is another example to prove this point. I highly recommend Dark Crimes 50 Movie Pack. It contains 50 public domain movies on 12 DVDs (Hoodlum included) for about $16-$17. You get decent quality recordings at an unbeatable price. Image DVDs are not worth spending money on.

Lawrence Tierney is one of my very favrotie performers, and even I couldn't watch this movie. The print is awful; the sound is worse; and it frequently skips right past some of the dialogue.
It's not a good movie to begin with, and doesn't really showcase Tierney's talent. It has no real plot, and you don't care about any of the characters except Tierney's long suffering mother, who winds up dying from his very presence, a little eerie in view of the fact that LT's real life mother committed suicide.
You've never seen any of the other performers (unless you're a 3 Stooges fan) or heard of any of the behind the scenes folk, and it's easy to see why.
This is not a B movie. It's firmly ensconced in the D- category, and yet it's spectacular in comparison to the DVD version of it. No features. No labeling of scenes. Scratchy, horrible print. Cover picture that doesn't even resemble the performers.
Cheap, cheap, cheap. They don't come any cheaper.
No more ALPHA videos for me.
Take the $6.98, and donate it to your favorite charity.
I'd suggest you watch my copy, but it wouldn't be worth the postage.

I was so looking forward to watching this DVD. After finding this unknown film noir, I noticed it was issued by Image. Anyone familiar with their products knows by now that purchasing from Image is hit and miss in terms of quality. This one is clearly not remastered - or even restored in any way. In fact, the print is plagued in numerous spots from where the film print had broken and then was spliced together with a few damaged frames at each splice being removed. When oh when will Image have a consistant quality of product? This could have been a delighful purchase has been turned into a lesson not to buy any more DVDs from this company!

Film noir is a genre characterized by sinister themes, high drama bordering on melodrama, severa camera angles, high contrast, action at the expense of dialogue (and when there is dialogue, it's often loaded with terse 40's-50's slang and sexual double-entendre), an insistent score, and logs of sleaze, but often with a semi-redemptive figure.

The variation is in the quality of the production and the fame and ability of the cast, cinematographer, screenwriter, and director. "Classic" film noir examples (such as "Maltese Falcon," "The Big Sleep," "Double Indemnity," "The Killing") display excellence in all or most of these areas, and are deservedly famous.

However, there is another type of film noir, the B (or B grade) film, obviously made on a budget, and typically hugely deficient in one or more of the above areas. There may be name actors and actresses (although sometimes they're here because of contractual obligations or a flagging career), but they don't have uniformly high quality, and there's often a dirtier, sleazier feeling that a cheaper, less sanitized film can get away with. "The Hoodlum" is one of these B films noirs, and within its often implausible plot and sometimes ridiculous characters, it delivers a raw power that today would be described as "edgy."

Lawrence Tierney embodies the power of the best B noirs, as just-released convict Vincent Lubeck, he's an unpretty, unsentimental, snarling, brutal man with no redemptive features (save for his very last-minute remorse during the tense but predictable ending). He's riveting as the single-minded psychopath, and the lousy feeling of the sets and clothes make him even more credible. (Even the current promotion of the DVD--perhaps taken from original promotional material--is sleaze, the scene depicted on the cover never takes place.)

The B noir is also very forgiving, given the right expectations, one can laugh at the production quality, the less convincing aspects of the plot, and the maudlin or otherwise unconvincing acting. This plot's a doozy, the brooding Lubeck and fellow ex-cons rob a bank across the street from where Vince works at his brother's gas station. Even though parole agents visit him there, they fail to make a connection, nor take notice of Lubeck's outings with a bank employee. I enjoyed, however, the sorry gang that Lubeck gathers, the immigrant mother who believes in Vincent (she successfully falls upon the mercy of the parole board, who do an about-face after her tearful plea... 'He's a good boy!'), the brother's beautiful and idealistic fiancee, and the ambitious bank employee whose lust is the only explanation for her attraction to Lubeck.

Tierney's compelling and completely natural "hoodlum" seems years ahead of its time, and he's the reason this is a tawdry, rough-cut gem. If you can accept the movie's sometimes cliched, low aspirations, and especially if you're either a film or noir afficionado, you'll enjoy it.

While the movie suffers here and there from the era in which it was filmed, the characters and situations raise this movie above the average. The main character isn't all that likeable, but we still root for him to change his wicked ways. People make choices and have to live with them. Lawrence Tierney is wonderful as the lifelong criminal, struggling to find his way in society and make his momma happy.

[...]

The Hoodlum, 1951 film

The film begins with two men in a car driving somewhere in the night. We hear about Vincent Lubeck's crimes. He will be paroled after his mother meets the parole board. The warden warns Vincent. His brother Johnny owns a gas station. [Does Vincent have a good attitude?] Vincent can't keep his mind on his work. Should Johnny help his brother? Rosa thinks she can help Vincent. [Can anyone?] "What did it accomplish?" Eileen drives a Rambler. Vincent has plans for a Big Score with other crooks. Rosa Chermak has a problem, there will be an autopsy. A funeral car doesn't have to stop for lights. Vince gets an idea. His gang scouts the bank. Will the plan work?

They rob the armored car and shoot the guards. They leave the cab and transfer to the hearse for a funeral. The police will blockade the roads in the city and shoot to kill. But funeral cars are allowed to pass. The lieutenant questions the mortuary owner and notices a discrepancy. There is a squabble over sharing the loot. Is there honor and trust among thieves? The police catch the rest of the gang. What will Vincent do? Can he escape? "Its too late." His mother speaks to him. Is she heart-broken? Johnny speaks to him and commands obedience. The police arrive to end the story.

This is a very good story for a low-budget production. The Lubeck family didn't know when it was time to cut their losses.

To me it was just your average gangster/film Noir with Lawrence Tierney as a man who gets out of jail on parole (thanks to his mom) and despite the help of his family to go straight, he cant help but be uncouth & gets involved with a gang to commit a large sized crime. Nothing but heartache and death follow. Tierney plays a really good jerk :)
It reminded me of Invisible Stripes, but it is not as good. Another film that sounded good,but was just run of the mill when I saw it. You really have to be a die hard Gangster movie (meaning you would like a lesser Warner Brothers Gangster movie like Dillinger) to really get into it. Not awful, but not a real classic either..