''Alphabet City'' is a 1984 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Amos Poe Amos Poe is an American New York City-based director and screenwriter, described by ''The New York Times'' as a "pioneering indie filmmaker." Career Amos Poe is one of the first punk filmmakers and his film '' The Blank Generation'' (1976)� ...

. The story follows a young New York City gangster of Italian descent named Johnny, who has been given control over his own neighborhood by the Mafia. Then unknown actors Vincent Spano (as Johnny), Jami Gertz, and

Michael Winslow Michael Leslie Winslow (born September 6, 1958) is an American actor, comedian and beatboxer billed as The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects for his ability to make realistic sounds using only his voice. He is best known for his roles in all seven ''P ...

give compelling performances in this low-budget crime/drama/thriller. Acclaimed film and stage actress Zohra Lampert plays Johnny's mother. The film is set in Alphabet City, a part of the East Village in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Plot

The film takes place entirely in one evening, with the time being indicated chronologically on the clock in Johnny's Trans Am. Johnny, a working-class Italian-American from Alphabet City, works for the New York

Italian-American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its mem ...

, which has placed him in charge of running

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

operations and

rackets Racket may refer to: * Racket (crime), a systematised element of organized crime ** Protection racket, a scheme whereby a group provides protection to businesses or other groups through violence outside the sanction of the law * Racket (sports equ ...

in his neighborhood, including

drug dealing The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

operations and the collection of protection money, debts, and street taxes and kick-ups from other local gangsters. Early in the evening, Johnny meets with his friend Lippy, an eccentric cocaine dealer played by

. They discuss the planned

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

of an Alphabet City tenement building, as ordered by the Mafia. As their discussion progresses, it becomes clear that it is Johnny who must carry out the burning of the building before the night is over, and, moreover, that his impoverished mother and sister live in the targeted building. This request from the Mob pushes Johnny to plan a split from the Mob, which proves difficult. By the end of the night, Johnny must save his sister and mother from the burning of their building and also rescue his girlfriend and their newborn child from the clutches of the Mob.

Cast

* Vincent Spano as Johnny *

as Lippy *

Kate Vernon Katherine Elizabeth Vernon (born April 21, 1961) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' (from 1984–1985), the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in ...

as Angie * Jami Gertz as Sophia * Zohra Lampert as Mama *

Raymond Serra Raymond Serra (born Aurelio Lacagnina; August 13, 1936 – June 20, 2003) was an American character actor known for his many supporting roles in film and television over a 30-year career. He and his wife, Gayle, had four children. Select film ...

as Gino *

Kenny Marino Kenneth "Kenny" Marino (December 29, 1943 – September 27, 2010) was an American actor. Career Marino first appeared in the 1981 film ''Prince of the City'' as Dom Bando. He later appeared in 1984's ''Alphabet City''. He also starred in Charles ...

as Tony * Tom Mardirosian as Benny * Clifton Powell as Ramon * Tom Wright as Chauffeur

Music

The music was composed by the prolific producer

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

, famous for his work with acts such as Chic,

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

, and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Vehicle

The vehicle Vincent Spano drives in the film is a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am 25th Anniversary Daytona 500 Edition. Only 2500 of the cars were built.

References

External links

* 1984 films 1984 crime drama films Atlantic Entertainment Group films American crime drama films Films about the American Mafia 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{1980s-crime-drama-film-stub