Hoodlums (1980)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Loretta is a gangster's moll who hates her occupation as singer/escort in a nightclub/illegal casino. So when she meets a charming man outside of the club, she decides to follow her heart instead of her mind. This doesn't bode well with George, her would-be boyfriend who runs the club, but he's got problems all his own...To fully appreciate the gangster drama "Hoodlums," one has to know a little bit about its creator/star, Nai Bonet. Beginning her career as a belly dancer, she set her sights on acting, but no one would give her a job as anything BUT an exotic dancer. Bonet finally decided to find investors and make her own movies to star in. First was "Nocturna," a dopey disco vampire-comedy; this was her second and final attempt to make her own film, and this one was most-likely made with real mob money.Both movies suffer from a lot of the same problems: slim story, endless disco sequences padding out the running time, cornball dialogue and bad overacting. But this film also features some GOOD acting (albeit scattershot), characters with some depth and enough story that they didn't really need the musical padding. Disco diva Vicki Sue Robinson (who gets to both sing and act) is a scene-stealer, and Peter Iacangelo gives a notable, standout performance as George's henchman, Zoo."Hoodlums" doesn't have any pretensions of being a high-brow, award winning film, and that's part of its charm. But as a forgotten little grindhouse type gangster b-movie, it's pretty damned hard to dislike.

I had a bit part in this movie and have searched high and low looking to purchase it. Does anyone have any idea how I can get it? It was a low-budget film but did have some notable actors in it.Micahel Gazzo - won an Acedemy Award for Godfather IITony Sirico - plays Paulie Walnuts in The SorpanosRaymond Serra - was in many gangster movies and played the lead role in The Edward G. Robinson Story on Broadway.Vicki Sue Robinson - was a disco queen in the 70'sNai Bonet - produced and acted in many cheesy "B" films. Jean Smart - has become a famous actressThe movie was a "Mafia" movie and Nai Bonet played a hooker. There wasn't much of a plot but it'll be interesting to see me and a few of the stars that weren't famous at the time.

This is quite possibly the worst film I have ever seen. And it includes possibly the worst ever acting performance by Nai Bonet as the hooker with the heart of gold.Rather than listing strong or weak aspects of the film, it suffices to say that this one sucks all round. Has some moments of unintentional comedy, though.Released on video in Finland in the early eighties.