After socio-psychological gore masterpiece The Driller Killer and feminist revenge drama Ms .45, Abel Ferrera attempted to go mainstream through a slightly more conventional but equally sleazy thriller about sex, death, and scum in Manhattan. It’s a race against time as a strip club booker (Tom Berenger) and a vice cop (Billy Dee Williams) join forces to take down a serial killer who’s been targeting exotic dancers. This being the Eighties, there’s a surprising amount of martial arts happening on these neon-sizzled rain-drenched streets, but no one has ever loved New York’s grimier side quite like Ferrera. – Richard Whittaker