As the past is reckoned with in the dim light of the streetlamps, a life that began behind tins filled with bootleg liquor is now being lived out on leather seats. In his early days, before he had yet moved on to big-budget films, Martin Scorsese uses sharp humor to bridge the gap between the memories of a man who thrives on crime and the reality of his life. Murray, looking back on his past, wants to believe that everything went according to plan. His friend Joe, sitting beside him, is quietly gnawing away at everything from the inside—both in their business partnership and within his own home. As the camera reveals the twisted bonds between these two men, it brings the spirit of an era trapped in black-and-white tones into the present. In this early experimental work with a dark comedy tone, what remains of crime and the ambition to rise is shaped by the human ability to lie to oneself.