The Hoodlum, Psycho Gets Out of Prison

We have a brutal one today. Every plot point ends in death, a beating, a shootout, a slapping, a death...oh, wait!  I said death already. Still, with this film, it merits being said twice. Then the stench. The city dump stinks like dumps do and that is the ongoing metaphor in this Film Noir one set in L.A.  Interesting point about this film, the titular character is played by Lawrence Tierney, and his brother in this film is played by...his brother, Edward.  Our feature today is 1951's "The Hoodlum," directed by Max Nosseck.

Juvenile delinquent, turned adult criminal, Vincent (Lawrence Tierney) serves five years in prison for armed robbery. He is up for parole and it is about to be denied until his elderly mom (Lisa Golm) makes a heartfelt plea for her son's freedom. Vincent, a real thug, gets parole and is mandated to have a job. His brother Johnny (Edward Tierney), who never liked Vincent, is a good man and owns a gas station. He hesitantly gives Vincent a job. Vincent is not appreciative and swears he is going to get out of poverty and move far away from the city dump and the stench. Johnny's fiancé, the beautiful Rosa (Allene Roberts) takes mercy on Vincent, and in turn has a lot of pre-marital sex with him, gets pregnant, and commits suicide. Johnny is heartbroken and Vincent could not care less. Vincent, working across the street form a bank, romances a bank employee, Eileen (Marjorie Riordan).

Okay, instead of pumping gas, Vincent plots an armored car robbery at the bank across the street. He gathers five more hoodlums together, including Christie (Angela Steven)...and he'll slap the snot out of her. Besides that, Vincent comes up with a surefire plan to rob the loot and get away.  Uh oh...the plan has a lot of moving parts and his cohorts are just as ruthless as he is.  How do you think this will go?  Well, actually, it goes even worse and now more die, and more hearts are broken, and Vincent begins to understand he has no friends. 

Will Johnny find out the real reason why Rosa committed suicide?  Does Vincent have a shot at getting away with the stolen loot?  Will Vincent's mom correct her error of getting the psycho out of jail? This won't be the feel good film of 1951, but in a country fed up with the corrupt Truman Administration, it may have been an appropriate film for that year.  For some brutality and ominous plot developments, see "The Hoodlum."