I just randomly picked this movie up at Blockbuster the other night and was not expecting much...the DVD cover does not do this movie justice. To me, the cover suggested a cheesy, non-realistic "Street" drama that does not do justice to real life NYC streets;instead i got something closer to "Mean Streets"! Its really that good, and goes against all the stereotypes that lower-budget street movies tend to dwell on. I grew up in New York with a lot of guys similar to the lead character in this, and i can't think of any other movie i've scene that portrayed them as accurate as this one. The lack of a budget shows in a few scenes, but the acting, the writing, and the direction make up for it. The characters are so real, that i was completely absorbed. Its a shame that so much crap makes it to the big screen, while gems like this one are hard to find.