The Plot Against Harry

Director: Michael Roemer
Year Released: 1989
Rating: 3.0

Fresh out prison, Jewish racketeer Harry (Martin Priest) decides he wants to try to go legit, but the forces of nature are against him (you try to get out, they pull you back in): his own health is (supposedly) in decline, two long-lost daughters emerge that he never knew he had and the government is keeping a close eye on him. It's smart, simple, perceptive and sadly ignored for twenty years - though shot in 1969, it took that large span of time to get 'rediscovered,' arguably because it has more akin with modern indie cinema (especially the work of Jim Jarmusch) than films of the late sixties and early seventies which were pushing the proverbial envelope. It's either depressing or uplifting that a movie released can be ignored for so long - it's hardly a masterwork, but it is quite charming.