Louie Kritski is a heartless landlord who has been so negligent in keeping up his ghetto apartment that he is threatened with jail time. The judge gives him another option -- he must live in his rat-infested hell hole until he brings it up to liveable standards.
Acting
Pesci's volcanic temper meets genuine vulnerability. Who knew?
Practical Effects
The building IS a character. That rat wasn't CGI, folks.
Director
Rod Daniel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Joe Pesci's first starring role after winning the Oscar for Goodfellas. His agent reportedly hated the idea.
The film quietly echoes real 1980s NYC housing crises, when judges actually began creative sentencing for negligent landlords.
US
