Rainey Dawn
This seems to be one of those "lesson" films for the teens and 20-somethings... the "lesson" of crime doesn't pay, make a good life for yourself - you don't want to see your mama cry do ya kids? Yea it's one of those types of films.To me this film was awful.... about 30 minutes through the film I hit the fast-forward button just to finish watching it quickly. It's quite a bore fest. What I did watch of the film I kept wanting to reach through the screen and slap Vincent Lubeck - yea he is an irritating hoodlum to me - not one of those sorta cool gangsters like we see in films but an outright stinking hoodlum - just like the stinking place they live (reference to Vincent's comment in the film about the stink).Some may like this film - but it was a terrible 30 minutes for me and what I saw in fast-forward didn't look any better.1/10
wes-connors
Although his warden considers him an unrepentant hoodlum, bank robber Lawrence Tierney (as Vincent "Vince" Lubeck) is granted parole. This is largely due to Mr. Tierney's pleading mother Lisa Golm (as Mama Lubeck). Lawrence moves home with the family and begins working for younger brother Edward Tierney (as Johnny Lubeck) at his auto service station. Lawrence proves to be a terrible worker and drives customers away from the gas station, which happens to be across the street from a bank. He meets bank secretary Marjorie Riordan (as Eileen) and gathers information for a planned robbery. Lawrence also assaults Edward's girlfriend Allene Roberts (as Rosa Czermak) with a kiss, which succeeds in getting her to copulate in that old "you know you want it" way...Leading man Lawrence Tierney scowls through his part. His best scenes occur near the end, especially with mother Golm. Though theatrical, Golm performs most passionately for director Max Nosseck. Edward Tierney is Lawrence's real-life brother and is okay his first featured role. They are interesting in the bracketing car scene which opens the story with flashbacks. While Ms. Roberts is a pushover, a couple of other women assert themselves. All things considered, the best part of this unassuming crime drama is the story/screenplay, well-written by Sam Neuman and Nat Tanchuck. They make the characters more interesting than they are played – and "the city dump" is an artfully used metaphor. The main caper, involving the bank and a nearby mortuary, is nicely staged.****** The Hoodlum (7/5/51) Max Nosseck ~ Lawrence Tierney, Edward Tierney, Lisa Golm, Allene Roberts
Hitchcoc
This is a very harsh movie about a very harsh man. It has the scene where the elderly mother comes to the parole board and begs them to let her little boy go. They oblige and that sets the events in motion. The man is a sociopath, using anyone who gets in his way. He is bad to the bone. He plots a big heist and never stops until it is accomplished. Unfortunately there are forces working against. The final scene with his mother is quite striking and can't help but pull a manipulative tear from anyone. The movie goes along quickly with us wondering if the guy will ever see the light. One of the weaknesses is that we are more tuned into victims and when it becomes obvious that this guy is barely human, we see him as a force rather than a man. It's nicely filmed and brings that blackness where criminals chose to be criminals and it was the job of the law to put them away. It's interesting for its time.
BILLYBOY-10
Tierney plays a total jerk (Vince) who just got out of prison cause his classic little-old-lady-dressed-in-black-widow-mother goes to the parole board and pours out sob story slop until they agree to release him. Once he gets home he proceeds to destroy everyone and everything including his brother's girl friend, Rose who he seduces then dumps after after knocking her up, so she commits suicide. When the brother can't figure out why she offed herself, Vince, between bites at dinner, offers that she was "nuts".Vince is really not a very nice guy at all.Then he plans a bank robbery and when that gets botched he's all over the place trying to escape. There is a funny part of the film, where the gang who robbed the bank with him are fleeing in a funeral procession and during the procession we are shown headlines in the newspaper about the robbery. Evidently the local paper got out an edition around five to ten minutes after the robbery took place and during the get-away. The press back then was really cracker-jack fast. Finally there's a scenery chewing confrontation with his mother that's Hollywood schmaltz at its best. Mom is in bed and gives Vince a tongue lashing at last telling him he's rotten, and then she croaks (apparently of excessive Tongue Lashitis). Enter the brother who force drives Vince, symbolically, to the city dump (they used to live near the dump and it stunk). The police arrive and Vince gets plugged. The End.Some classify this cinematic goop as noir which I guess it might be; it's black and white, its dark, it has shadows and bad guys but noir being very subjective, I'd just call it a grade Z pot boiler with crappy acting, a hilarious script and a predictable ending... but its engrossing and impossible not to watch because of Vince. Go for it. Its only an hour long but sure does tear up the scenery and make for a hoot of a viewing.
AD
