Alphabet City

Summary

I am an unabashed lover of films from the Eighties. I can’t seem to ever watch enough of the movies made in that period of time. The last few years have been an incredible time to love cult films. Dedicated labels like Arrow Video, Shout!Factory, and Vinegar Syndrome have dedicated themselves to unearthing seemingly every single obscure entry from that era. The new label Fun City Editions, which currently sells their films on Vinegar Syndrome’s website, has started their label off with the 1984 crime drama Alphabet City. It is a visually exciting film with a great soundtrack that also serves as a time capsule to when New York was still a very dangerous city. 

As the film opens Johnny (Vincent Spano) attempts to make love with his girlfriend Renee (Kate Vernon) but is interrupted by their screaming infant. Johnny exercises wearing the baby and gets ready for the night. He has a white Pontiac Trans Am that he uses to check on the numerous drug dealers on the streets for Gino and to deliver cash or drugs from point to point. The streets he patrols are called alphabet city because the streets are named after letters in the alphabet. At the time, these were some of the most dangerous areas in New York. Over the course of one night, Johnny is going to be faced with an important decision regarding an arson job that Gino expects him to perform. Throughout the night he interacts with an eccentric cast of characters including a drug addict named Lippy (Michael Winslow,) Johnny’s sister Sophia (Jami Gertz) who has become an escort, and Johnny’s mother (Zaharia Lambert.)

Alphabet City is an enjoyable crime drama that skates by on the strong visual flair of director of photography Oliver Wood. For a low budget film, Wood manages to create an evocative landscape that is lit with pink, purple, and green hues while also using diffusion filters occasionally on his camera. All of these tricks deliver value that simply would not exist otherwise. The script itself is pretty slight. It is not poorly written or anything, it just does not have a lot of meat on its bones. The actors in the film are all likable, but the acting itself is nothing to write home about. This is a true exercise in style over substance. Thanks to the clever direction by Amos Poe and great lighting by Oliver Wood the film manages to rise above the budgetary restraints and script’s limitations. The film also benefits from a great sounding soundtrack by Nile Rodgers. Rodgers is one of the most successful musicians of all time and has worked with artists that include Madonna, Daft Punk, and as a founding member of Chic. His synth funk music for the film has aged well and helps the film a tremendous amount. The stylish lighting by Oliver Wood landed Oliver a job lighting an iconic series from the Eighties for four seasons called Miami Vice.

Aside from the great style of the film, Alphabet City is memorable for documenting what the worst streets of New York felt like in 1984. Before gentrification and the cleaning up of the city by Rudy Giuliani, New York was a dangerous place. This film captures the gritty night dealings in the areas that were not typically put on celluloid back then. My guess would be that all of these neighborhoods have been cleaned up by now and the real estate has skyrocketed in value. I imagine a quaint coffee shop with free WiFi is on every corner at this point. 

Overall – I really enjoyed Alphabet City and would recommend checking it out.

Video

Alphabet City arrives on Blu-ray with a new 2K transfer that shines on the format. The film was shot completely at night on a shoestring budget, so it should not surprise fans of the film that grain at times can be fairly heavy. Aside from that small caveat, I thought the film looks great. Alphabet City is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and the print seems to be in good shape. The cinematography by Oliver Wood uses color and light to its advantage and diffusion filters on lenses at time to give the film a great look. Fans of the film should be elated by how strong it looks on the format.

Audio

Fun City Editions has provided a DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track in English. the track is satisfying and does a good job of showcasing the music by Nile Rodgers. As you would expect, range is limited. The dialogue comes across without notable issues. Fans should be pleased with the efforts put in to clean up the track.

Supplements:

• Intro by actor Vincent Spano
• Commentary – director Amos Poe talks with writer Luc Sante who has written books focusing on historical aspects of New York City. This is a pretty interesting track.
• “Prince of Alphabet City” – actor Vincent Spano walks through his memories of working on the film. Spano is very likable and shares some great stories including the time he was pulled over in the Trans Am while in full costume. This is a good interview that fans of the film should enjoy.
• “East Side Stories” – a brief video essay by Chris O’Neill.
• Image Gallery 
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 4/5

Alphabet City is an enjoyable crime drama that moves briskly through the most dangerous streets of 1984 New York. The great soundtrack and colorful cinematography make the film work. It’s a case of style over substance but that does not hurt my opinion of the film. The cast is likable in their roles. The film benefits from good pacing and a short running time. The new 2K scan by Fun City Editions is a really promising start for the new label, and the special features are worthwhile. Recommended.