Alphabet City *** (1984, Vincent Spano, Michael Winslow, Kate Vernon, Jami Gertz, Zohra Lampert) – Classic Movie Review 10,824

‘At 19, they gave him the streets. Tonight, they’re going to take them back.’

Director Amos Poe’s interesting, tough-toned 1984 crime thriller Alphabet City stars Vincent Spano, then a rising star player apparently going places, who impresses as a young thug on the make in the big city in this impressionistic picture of low-life in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Spano’s performance, the good support cast and the flashy pop-video-style visuals slickly ease along a none-too-well-thought-out screenplay.

Also in the cast are Michael Winslow, Kate Vernon, Jami Gertz, Zohra Lampert, Ray Serra, Kenny Marino, Daniel Jordano, Tom Mardirosian and Barry Mitchell.

Alphabet City is directed by Amos Poe, runs 85 minutes, is made by Atlantic, is written by Amos Poe (screenplay), Gregory K Heller (story and screenplay) and Robert Seidman (additional dialogue), is shot by Oliver Wood, is produced by Andrew Braunsberg and is scored by Nile Rodgers, with Production Design by M Nord Haggerty.

Director Amos Poe wanted to make it like his favourite film The Battle of Algiers (1965) in black and white and relocated in the Lower East Side, but the producers insisted on colour.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,824

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com