The Hoodlum (1951)

Directed by Max Nosseck. Starring Lawrence Tierney, Marjorie Riordan, Edward Tierney, Allene Roberts, Lisa Golm, Stuart Randall, John De Simone, Angela Stevens, Eddie Foster, Tom Hubbard.

Swayed by the pleas of his mother (Golm), a parole board releases criminal sociopath Vincent Lubeck (Lawrence Tierney), but Lubeck wastes no time getting back to his loathsome ways, including stealing his brother’s girl (Roberts) and planning an armored truck heist. Director Nosseck reteams with his Dillinger star for a compact, straightforward programmer made on a tight budget; a crime picture heavily influenced by film noir and sordid melodrama. Contains many familiar elements, even to the point of being overworn, but what sets it apart from the pack (and makes it slightly above average for its type) is its ruthless edge and Tierney’s brutish, intimidating presence—discarding family members and lovers whenever it suits him, the bullets don’t sting the hood nearly as bad as mama Golm’s critical tongue on her death bed. Tierney’s real-life brother, Edward, plays his sibling onscreen as well.

61/100