An engaging mix of off-the-wall black humor and obdurate violence presents Rita La Punta (Marilia Pera), a Brazilian woman running a drug-pushing outfit in New York City's Lower East Side. Her gang consists of neighborhood teenagers, whom she sincerely loves as her own, living in a
squalid apartment. When her gang intercepts a shipment intended for a rival group, a 14-year-old is tossed off a rooftop in retaliation. Instead of intimidating Rita, the action results in an all-out war between her gang and the rival group. Pera's performance is wacky and believable. This is a
story steeped in violence, which happens as casually and frequently as spitting on a sidewalk....
Released:
1984
Rated:
NR
Length:
98 mins