Product Description

One of the niftiest "B" gangster films of the "noir" era tells the story of ex-con Vincent Lubeck (a solid performance by Reservoir Dogs' Lawrence Tierney) on parole because of the pleadings of his mother, with orders to stay clean for five years. Working for his brother at a gas station, Lawrence looks for an easy way to make money. He calls in some of his old associates and they rob an armored car where several people are killed. Edward Tierney (real-life brother of Lawrence) makes his screen debut delivering a promising performance, and the rest of the cast offer excellent performances in this tough, fast-paced dramatic film from the director of Dillinger, based on actual news accounts of the plight of many ex-cons.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114195 in DVD
• Brand: TIERNEY,EDWARD
• Released on: 2006-01-03
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

Image Entertainment presents another substandard release
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!

Effective Low-Budget Crime Thriller
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".

Great Film Noir - Dissapointing Release
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.