Hoodlums

For those who've discovered the joys of Nai Bonet's goofy disco-vampire comedy "Nocturna," here's a companion. 1980's "Hoodlums" (aka "Gangsters") is Bonet's follow-up, which also holds the distinction of being her final film.

Loretta (Bonet) is a singer and escort in a NYC mob-owned nightclub/illegal casino. The favorite working girl of manager George (Tony Page), Loretta is unhappy with her current occupation and looking for a way out. George, meanwhile, is losing his stranglehold on the business. Complications arise when Loretta finds herself falling for a man she meets in her off-hours. Clearly this isn't gonna end well...

Some backstory is required to fully appreciate this trashterpiece. Bonet is a half-French, Vietnamese-born, NYC raised belly dancer who became a headliner at age 13. Around the age of 20 in the early '60s, Nai was rubbing elbows with Hollywood royalty nightly, and she found her way into a few now-obscure films, an episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies," TV talk shows, and commercials -- almost always appearing as a exotic dancer. By the '70s, Nai decided to set her sights exclusively on acting. She appeared on Broadway and had bit parts in a few films like "Soul Hustler" and "Fairy Tales," but she yearned for bigger roles -- so she began filling up a notebook with ideas for movies to star in.

In 1978, Nai got "Halloween" producer Irwin Yablans to fund a disco comedy called "Nocturna," in which she portrayed the title character, Dracula's granddaughter. The movie received a minor release in '79, horrid reviews, and one home video release in 1983. Hilariously bad, intentionally campy, featuring horror icons John Carradine and Yvonne DeCarlo as well as a pair of club disco hits by Gloria Gaynor and Vicki Sue Robinson, the movie's gone on to attain a small cult following... which is really beginning to snowball, thanks to internet word-of-mouth.

"Hoodlums," on the other hand, has been completely ignored and forgotten. Probably funded by real-life gangsters ("Nocturna" was rumored to have been, but I've since found evidence that it was fully funded by Yablans), the movie seems to have gotten a theatrical release somewhere (I've got a 1-sheet to prove it), but it doesn't appear to have attained wide distribution before its video release(s) by the obscure Twilight Home Entertainment. And today the tapes are very pricey and difficult to obtain.

Again Bonet conceived the story, along with "I Spit on Your Grave"'s Bill Tasgal, and they pawned off screenwriting duties on an unknown named Edith E. Colegrave. "Nocturna" cinematographer Mac Ahlberg returned to direct, and Vicki Sue Robinson's role expanded from that of mere soundtrack singer to starring in a big supporting role.

Clearly a soundtrack was planned to boost awareness of the film, but one was never issued. Robinson, Cissy Houston and Theodore "T" Life all appear and sing in the film -- and their songs are recycled over and over again in the background. It would appear that Nai also sings a song, but her performance of "Long Lonely Night" is actually lipsynched to vocals by Cory Daye. Oddly, not only is it Nai's finest moment in the movie, but she mouthed better to someone else's voice than she did to her own in her 1966 "Jelly Belly" music video.

As for the movie itself, "Hoodlums" is very much akin to "Nocturna" in execution. There's a combination of professionals and people off the street both in front of and behind the camera, overlong disco sequences, slim story, overacting and bad acting galore, atmospheric NYC pre-city cleanup, and corny dialogue. Where the two films deviate is in tone. "Hoodlums" is much darker, and the Loretta character is less one-dimensional than Nocturna. Of course, Nai's performance isn't any more dimensional, but that's part of her charm.

Some of the other actors fare better... though none fare especially great. Vicki Sue Robinson is a scene stealer as Loretta's best friend and coworker. And in a smaller scene-stealing role is Jean Smart ("Designing Women," "24"), who wildly overacts in her second film and is saddled with a clown-styled wig. Michael V. Gazzo ("Godfather II") makes a formidable crime boss, though his performance devolves into total camp at one point. Peter Iacangelo gives a standout performance as George's henchman Zoo, though he's involved in two of the goofiest fight scenes this side of "Dynasty." And then there's Tony Page, who's also pretty good, though it sounds like he gargled with razor blades and horse piss to attain his gravel gangster voice (apologies if that's his real voice, but it sounds fake).

All in all, it's an enjoyable, splendiforously bad little b-movie that deserves to be better known than it is. And this post is a good start! Make sure to watch for one of the phoniest punches ever captured on film (trust me, you'll know it when you see it) and the ugliest cat that ever lived!