Borough of Kings

Toil and trouble. Jimmy, an aspiring actor, wants out of South Brooklyn where hoods run the show. Since the death of his firefighter father, Jimmy's family has been the guys at the station house and Tommy, a mobster who owns a gym where Jimmy works. Tommy encourages Jimmy's dreams, and Jimmy gets the part of Banquo in a Joseph Papps production of "Macbeth." He goes to tell Tommy the good news and walks in on a mob hit. Tommy protects him temporarily from Nunzio, a murderous Mamaluc, but soon the cops get word Jimmy knows something. Can Jimmy succeed as an actor, be a stand up guy for Tommy, avoid Nunzio, and get closer to Anna, a woman he falls for at the theater?

Directed by Elyse Lewin, Borough of Kings leans on a strong ensemble — Kerry Butler, Philip Bosco, Joseph Lyle Taylor — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2000.