rmelin13 I doubt I know all of them, but the three films of street gang genre which came out in the very late 70's and very early 80's were "The Warriors"; "The Outsiders" and this one, "Defiance". Each one had it's own positive and negative points, in my opinion. I have to admit that I've watched "The Warriors" several times over the years, and I never tire of it. On the other hand, one viewing of "The Outsiders" was enough for me, it just didn't hold up. "Defiance" however is an excellent film from start to finish, and I'll be sure to watch it again and again. The film does an outstanding job of showing the essence of what it was like to exist in a then gang-ridden neighborhood in NYC. And there is story behind it, as well as good acting, a touch of a love affair, and most importantly the grittiness of people who are determined to regain what was once theirs, only to be snatched by a gang of merciless thugs. Cheers!

robespierre9 This just aired on the ENCORE ACTION channel recently. This is a very entertaining NYC flick - and pretty action filled considering it is PG! Jan Michael Vincent is at his best as a reluctant action hero who finally has enough of a Puerto-Rican gang in a Italian NYC neighborhood. Jan is one of my favorite actors, and he effortlessly pulls off this character with believability and heart. And looks sexy doing it, too. His love interest is very sweet in this movie, as is the orphan kid he 'adopts' along the way. The bad gang leader is very entertaining - this guy loves hats! the gang looks like they dressed up to partake in Michael Jackson's Beat It Video! Best part of this movie is the Jan-Michael shower scene - that's all I have to say.

wca720 I think this is JMV's finest Hour and a half on film besides AIRWOLF and why this isn't out on DVD yet is beyond me. With all the crap they they do have out now, I would have thought I could find this somewhere but alas, I can't but thank god I have it on VHS when I copied it years ago for my own personal use.You have already read the storyline from the rest of the comments up there so take my word for it, this flick is worth watching if you like "Gangs tearing up the neighborhood and the good guys kick their asses in the end" movies.It's just a shame the JMV's career has since gone down the toilet.

sirnando Jan Michael Vincent steps into Charles Bronson Territory in this great Exploitation Masterpiece. Vincent plays a merchant Marine who moves to the South Bronx and Ends up mixing it up with a vicious Puerto Rican gang. Led by the Immortal Rudy Ramos who plays the gangleader "Angel" who plays the thug with just the right amount of street punk-aristocratic flair that every street gang leader should exhibit. Ramos & Screenwriter Tom Donnelly would team up in the Kevin Bacon Classic "Quicksilver", where Ramos plays the villainous Gypsy in that one. Unfortunately, the Tom Donnelly/Ramos collaboration dries up by the time Donnelly helms "Blindsided". Getting back to "Defiance", The guy who played Luca Brasse in the Godfather plays an Ex-boxer called Wacko ( Don't ask me who came up with that name.) Art Carney plays a jewish Grocery store Owner....Danny Aielo also> embarrases himself in this one.....And if you look Closely , you'll find the Guy who plays Paulie Walnuts on the Sopranos. If you like this film check out "Quicksilver".