No film captures New York's grimy 42nd street of the 1980's quite as effectively as Paul Morrisey's "Forty Deuce." This is an hypnotically sleazy tale of New York street hustlers trying to make some cash off of the body of a dead 12 year old kid in a dismal motel room. Anyone who thinks actor Kevin Bacon could only play squeaky clean roles in the 80's, would really be shocked by his believable portrayal of a slimy, junkie male prostitute. He's got down the body language so perfectly, the twitching and scratching, the nodding out etc. This atmospheric film also features some of the dirtiest, raunchiest dialog I have ever heard. The main reason to seek this film out is, of course, for the rare footage of a New York that no longer exists. Prostitutes and drug dealers, lined up around the Port Authority Bus station, dark, seedy hustler bars, and the great nostalgia factor. I believe this is the first screen appearance of Kevin Bacon, and also a young Esai Morales, who later played Sean Penn's arch rival in the classic 'JD' film "Bad Boys." Morales is very believable as a Times Square street rat. This title is very rare and it will take a lot of effort to track it down. It was only released on VHS, and only in France! There has never been any other official release of this one. It's quite fascinating stuff though, this super low budget art-house film must have some cult status. Fans of Warhol director Paul Morrissey's films like "Trash," and "Mixed Blood" will love this crazy movie. He even uses his split screen technique that was so effective in "Chelsea Girls." "Forty Deuce" is one film that needs to be made available again. It serves as a time capsule, an historic record of New York's 'Golden Days' of porn theaters and boom boxes.
Review of Forty Deuce
