Last Exit to Brooklyn

"Last Exit to Brooklyn" treats its many unseemly social and sexual issues in an unflinching and unashamedly forthright manner, but even more than this it is the generous assortment of heartless characters inhabiting this sordid and squalid depiction of Brooklyn which almost makes the whole film unwatchable while simultaneously creating the biggest impression of all. They embody the worst and the most close-minded and negative people to be found on the face of the planet. However, such unsettling repugnance is also strangely compelling and fascinating and it has been brilliantly brought to the screen with great skill and expertise to produce one of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and unforgettably assaultive motion pictures of the 1980's.

Set amidst some fairly violent industrial turmoil, this potpourri of stories focuses on some of the diversity that existed, though it didnt necessarily thrive, in 1950s NYC. The local factory is the centre of the troubles as the dockers take strike action, galvanised by their leaders Harry (Stephen Lang) and the manipulative Boyce (Jerry Orbach). Meantime, the striking in an altogether different manner Tralala (Jennifer Jason Leigh) rather menacingly plies her feminine wares on the unsuspecting but horned up military until she begins to fall a little for one of her more decent uniformed clientele and sees the glimmer of an hope she could escape this cycle of hopelessness. With tensions running high amidst their community, we also discover t...