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Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

The constraints within which filmmakers have to operate when they're working on a low budget can often produce surprisingly good results and this is most often seen in crime dramas where qualities such as grittiness, realism and pace can be produced without any need for high expenditure. "The Hoodlum" is a case in point, as it describes the inevitable downfall of a criminal who, from the outset, is clearly beyond redemption and the way in which his story is told displays all the aforementioned qualities plus plenty of tension.As a youngster, Vincent Lubeck (Lawrence Tierney) had a long history of involvement in petty crime before being sentenced to ten years in prison for armed robbery. After having served five years of his sentence, the parole board at the state penitentiary meets to consider his case and despite the strong views of the Warden (who considers him to be unfit to be released on parole); the board approves the criminal's release after having listened to an impassioned appeal from Lubeck's mother.When Vincent returns home to live with his mother, he's required under the terms of his parole to work in the gas station which his brother Johnny (Edward Tierney) had bought using the insurance money from his father's death. Vincent shows no appreciation of what Johnny or his mother have done on his behalf and doesn't acknowledge how well Johnny had done in building up his business and buying the family a new home. He also dislikes working in the gas station and displays a bad attitude to its customers. This naturally upsets Johnny who, unlike his mother and his naïve girlfriend Rosa (Allene Roberts), sees his brother exactly for what he is. Rosa's attempts to build bridges between the brothers leads to her getting seduced by Vincent and eventually committing suicide after discovering she's pregnant and then being very firmly rebuffed when she asked Vincent to marry her.Vincent notices the collections that are made by an armoured van from the Fidelity Bank which is located on the opposite side of the street from the gas station and dates Eileen (Marjorie Riordan), the bank's secretary, in order to get some more information about the regular cash shipments. Then, after meeting up with some of his old associates, he masterminds a heist and a very imaginative way of escaping with the loot. His quest for easy money, however, soon leads to some undesirable results, both during and after the heist.Vincent Lubeck's character is very straightforward as he's completely unrepentant about anything he's done in the past, never intends, even for a second, to go straight and is only focused on getting easy money. He thinks that the intense bitterness and anger that's such a powerful part of his make-up is attributable to his family's experience of having lived for years in a home that was close to the city dump and sees the acquisition of a lot of money as being the only thing that can clear the stink that he lived with for so many years. He's vicious, volatile and amoral and brings nothing but misery to his family.Lawrence Tierney does a great job of portraying the sheer intensity and explosive nature of this selfish sociopath in a style that perfectly complements the fast-moving way in which the on-screen action is delivered. It's these qualities that ultimately make the movie so enjoyable and help to compensate for the poor acting of some other members of the cast.

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.

Hoodlum, The (1951) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Lightweight but entertaining crime film has a hoodlum (Lawrence Tierney) released from prison but going back to his old ways of robbing. The "message" is over-dramatic here but the film is pretty fun due in large part to the performance by Tierney who's always great playing bad guys. The low budget actually helps build some nice atmosphere but we've seen this thing countless times before. Tierney's real life brother plays his brother in the film.You can view this film on countless public domain labels.

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.