A gallery of characters in Brooklyn in the 1950s are crushed by their surroundings and selves: a union strike leader discovers he is gay; a prostitute falls in love with one of her clients; a family cannot cope with the fact that their daughter is illegitimately pregnant.
"Last Exit to Brooklyn" treats its many unseemly social and sexual issues in an unflinching and unashamedly forthright manner, but even more than this it is the generous assortment of heartless characters inhabiting this sordid and squalid depiction of Brooklyn which almost makes the whole film unwatchable while simultaneously creating the biggest impression of all. They embody the worst and the most close-minded and negative people to be found on the face of the planet. However, such unsettling repugnance is also strangely compelling and fascinating and it has been brilliantly brought to the screen with great skill and expertise to produce one of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and unforgettably assaultive motion pictures of the 1980's.