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Rhythm Thief is set in New York’s Lower East Side, a world where almost everyone is desperate or crazy, or both.
The film takes a fly-on-the-wall look at the life of Simon (Jason Andrews) and seems to progress in a similar style to Richard Linklater’s Slacker although this film is set predominantly around only Simon and the peoplehe associates with, rather than skipping from person to person as that film does.
On a Delancey Street curb, Simon ekes out a living selling bootleg music tapes. He’s continually pestered by Shayme – his strung-out rival in piracy – and hounded by would-be disciple, Fuller (Kevin Corrigan – Seven Psychopaths).
Simon’s home is a rat-pit. He survives on a diet of cheap liquor, peanut butter and leftovers from the diner. He has no-strings sex with Cyd (Kimberley Flynn), an alluring yet volatile man-eater.
He is being menaced by the hulking ground floor tenant who thinks he’s stolen his TV, while at the same time being endlessly hassled by another tenant who wants to sell him one. His life has been threatened by a band he’s bootlegged, and he owes money!
Fuller is killed, and Simon is hounded out of the city with girl from the past Marty (Eddie Daniels) in tow. Marty is a girl who defaces her body with writing and also scrawls reams and reams over the walls of her apartment.
Simon feels traumatised and confused by the death of his mother, a fact told to him by Marty. He asks her questions as they make love. Her answers mixfact with philosophy.
But for Simon, there is no escape; he is drawn inexorably back to the neighbourhood for a final reckoning with fate.
Rhythm Thief is as bleak as it is stylish, as gritty as it is moving and as beautiful. This award-winning feature is both skilfully crafted and offbeat with striking performances from all the cast.
The director makes excellent use of steadi-cam camerawork so the film flows along as if you were there with him. It is as fascinating a piece of ultra-low-budget movie making as you will ever see.
Rhythm Thief is out now on and VHS. However, the full movie is on Youtube below.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 84 minutes
Studio: Screen Edge
Year: 1994
Released: 1994
Cat.no: EDGE07
Sound: Mono
Languages: English
Price : £12.99
Filmed in Black & White
Director: Matthew Harrison
Cast:
Simon: Jason Andrews
Fuller: Kevin Corrigan
Cyd: Kimberley Flynn
Marty: Eddie Daniels
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.