The Hoodlum

The film opens with a flash-forward showing Vincent and Johnny driving to a local dump, foreshadowing the violent conclusion. The image sets up the fatal trajectory and tension that will unfold.

Vincent is released from prison on parole after his elderly mother's pleas. He faces a world that tests his resolve to reform, nudging him toward old habits. The release marks the start of his criminal arc.

He takes a job at Johnny's gas station, trying to blend into ordinary life while remaining alert to opportunities. The job provides cover as he navigates his criminal impulses.

Vincent seduces Rosa, Johnny's fiancée, showing her that reforming him won't be easy in a bad world. Their affair deepens his grip on a dangerous personal web.

He becomes fixated on the armored car that stops at the bank across the street and begins romancing Eileen, a bank secretary, learning the bank's inner workings. This relationship gives him access to information he can exploit.

Vincent starts planning a bank robbery and recruits men from prison, drawing on insights from a master bank job planner he once shared a cell with. The plan starts to take concrete shape as he gathers a crew.

Rosa begs him to marry her, but he refuses. She jumps from a roof and dies; the autopsy reveals she was pregnant, adding a fatal twist to the romance and its consequences.

Vincent devises a plan involving a fake funeral procession to move the crew past a police blockade. The ruse allows them to secure the money while evading immediate arrest.

The robbery unfolds with the gang taking the loot and killing several guards. Once the money is in hand, the other heisters turn on Vincent, exploiting his arrogance and failure to anticipate their reactions.

The surviving criminals split the money and manage to get away for the moment, but Vincent ends up with nothing more than a bump on his head and an all-points bulletin.

In desperation, Vincent seeks out Eileen, but she pulls a small handgun and orders him to leave, fearing he would implicate her. The encounter cuts him off from potential help.

Vincent's mother, now regretful about her intervention, curses him on her deathbed. Her words underline the personal and familial costs of his choices.

Johnny drives Vincent to a local dump at gunpoint, unable to kill him himself. The police follow unseen, and a final confrontation ends with the authorities finishing the job.