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Stephen Lang, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Burt Young, Peter Dobson, Jerry Orbach ... see more see more... , Alexis Arquette , Stephen Baldwin , Cameron Johann , Rick Aiello , Rutanya Alda , Jason Andrews , Daniel Beer , Mark Boone Jr. , Joseph Carberry , John Costelloe , Christopher Curry , Maia Danziger , Colleen Flynn , Ray Gill , James Harper , Robert Kramer , Ricki Lake , James Lorinz , Frank Military , Christopher Murney , Michael O'Hare , Lisa Passero , Hubert Rechy , Sam Rockwell , Camille Saviola , Al Shannon , Bruce Smolanoff , Sylvie Spector , Mike Starr , Frank Vincent , David Warshofsky , Robert Weil , Zette Sullivan , Hubert Selby Jr. , Bob Martana

Hubert Selby's controversial 1964 cult novel Last Exit To Brooklyn is adapted to the big screen by director Ulrich Edel in this drama. The story is set in the early 1950s in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a blig... read more read more...hted waterfront town of boarded-up storefronts and striking factory workers. Harry Black (Stephen Lang), a machinist put in charge of the local union strike office, suddenly finds himself one of the most important men in town. But for all his sudden power, there's something disturbing Harry. He rejects his wife's caresses and discovers himself infatuated with a frail young man who calls himself Georgette (Alexis Arquette), who has a crush on well-muscled hood Vinnie (Peter Dobson). But Harry doesn't confront his problem head-on until he falls head-over-heels in love with Regina (Zette), a local transvestite. As the strike becomes more intense, Harry sinks deeper into an obsessive affair with Regina, using the strike fund to shower him/her with personal gifts. As Harry sinks into obsession, other characters float through the decaying streets. There's the attractive prostitute Tralala (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who falls in love with a sailor about to be shipped overseas. There is also an agreeable young man named Tommy (John Costelloe) who is beaten by his soon-to-be father-in-law Big Joe (Burt Young) for making his daughter Donna (Ricki Lake) pregnant. Everything comes to a tragic conclusion as the workers' strike escalates into a violent confrontation. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

2,143 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

17 critics

R, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Uli Edel

Release Date: January 1, 1989

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DVD Release Date: December 19, 1990

Stats: 137 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (137)

  • deano
    April 15, 2007
    deano
    Hubert Selby Jr's novel of life and hard times in 1950's Brooklyn is a web of interconnecting stories involving work lock-outs, domestic violence and Jennifer Jason Leigh as local hooker. Despite some powerful scenes, there's too much self-importance in the narrative, no real per... read morespective and a woeful lack of humour.
  • michaelcorleone
    November 13, 2010
    michaelcorleone
    I usually don't approve of comparisons between source material and film, but I can't prevent myself from doing it here. Selby Jr.'s novel presents some of the most violent, depraved images of desperation and hopelessness in literature. The book got under my skin and has stayed th... read moreere through the years since I read it. The film, although distinctly stylized and directed with precision, fails to deliver the same kind of visceral impact. It is violent, but it is not violent enough. It is bleak, but it never approaches the hellish gloom of the source material. The performances are all impressive, and it is a polished piece of work overall. It just doesn't hit hard enough.
  • fb100000185301014
    December 19, 2011
    fb100000185301014
    A depiction of the low lives in Brooklyn, featuring an excellent cast. The merciless and fierce atmosphere was presented with the well designed lighting.
  • threefolddado
    July 16, 2008
    threefolddado
    Unsympathetic characters, unpleasant situations. . . isn't life swell? Please don't watch this in the bath tub with razor blades near by.

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Critic Reviews

James Plath
December 29, 2011
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

Cinematic style and Jennifer Jason Leigh make this worth watching. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 7, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

For the most part, Edel captures the harrowing grim tone of the book and the compassion the author had for his unsympathetic flawed characters. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
November 25, 2010
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

German director Eli Edel has fashioned a grim yet coherent and extremely well acted tale out of Hubert Selby's 1964 collection of short stories about misfits, criminals and outsiders in Brooklyn's Red... Full Review

Jake Euker
March 8, 2004
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

So bleak a vision as to be obsessive and ultimately shallow.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
February 7, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

The pockmarked buildings have a peeling grayness, as if some forgotten battle had been waged there and dulled everything in its wake. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

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