Alphabet City

It is hard to imagine a film about heroin dealers that is not gritty, but then here it is, "Alphabet City." I can speak with authority about this film because not only did I live in the Alphabetland area for six months will attending New York University, I also worked as a Production Assistant on this film. Gritty? Hell no. It is a cartoon. I grew up as a movie lover, and then interned through NYU on this film; talk about a rude awakening. While Michael Winslow is totally miscast, his silliness matches the rest of the movie. I've hung out with the real junkies from this area, watched them shoot up, and can say with absolute certainty that nothing about this film rings true to the location where the shooting took place, even though actual locals were at times used for extras. I could go on and give you the real dirt about this production, but they limit these reviews.

I watched earlier Amos Poe films (Foreigner, Unmade Beds) and then I watched Alphabet City. Although, the film is directed by Poe, it is just filled with clichés and stories you have already seen, worlds you've already explored. It has no comment whatsoever on NYC's Alphabet City. So, in terms of story and plot- I won't bother watching the film. If you are interested in the craft of film- this film has great editing and great cinematography. If you want to taste the period of the 80's, there's a good amount of clubs and drugs, even a little neighborhood explored in the film. How much of it is genuine, I don't know- but its definitely interesting to study. What really ruins the film is that Poe had little control over the film- thus it was butchered by studio heads and editing department.

This movie has to be one of the most boring and lame movies of the '80s. I couldn't remember what it was about after seeing it back in 1984. It was on one of the movie channels a couple of years ago, and it was still bad. I thought it might get better with time. I remember at the Drive-in where I saw it, it was very dark, and could not be seen properly. On TV, it was just as bad. Most of the movie takes place at night. The plot is all over the place, and the characters are forgettable. Being a fan of action/thriller movies, this one is a big disappointment!

There's really not much to say about this film, except that it was dull. I never found the story or any of the main characters to be interesting, and so, I was bored fairly early into the movie. I only watched it because I recognized a few of the names in the cast, but I should have known better...

I thought the movie was very realistic and could have been based on a friend of mine and my own rise and fall in the drug trade ('78 &'79). The fast cars, condemned buildings that we used to deal out of, the "shooting" galleries. Making sure your runners are always in pocket. Huge amounts of money trading hands daily. Seeing friends turn into junkies and not being able to help nor trust them once they crossed that line. Although the movie takes place over a 24 hour period, it was a 2 year experience for me and this movie captured it all,the highest highs and the lowest lows. What started out as fun turned into a nightmare. I was able to get out and live to tell about it but so many of my friends and associates weren't so lucky. I came to this site in search of the soundtrack and one song in particular, "Lady Luck". Like someone said earlier the soundtrack is awesome and Lady Luck was on my side.