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*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Harlan Ellison is most often thought of as a science fiction writer, and sometime television critic, but his autobiographical book Memos from Purgatory is a harrowing and compelling true story of his stint as a member of a Brooklyn street gang. This Alfred Hitchcock episode is written by Ellison himself, using material from the book, though it had to be considerably watered down for television at that time. Nowadays, you could probably film it just as he wrote it.James Caan is excellent as Jay Shaw, the young writer who stands in for Ellison, as he impresses a tough street gang sufficiently to make him a member. Tony Musante is all too believable as a sadistic gang member with a volatile temper, ready to fight Shaw from the start, and resentful of gang leader Tiger's friendship with the new guy. Lynn Loring is beautiful, and touchingly vulnerable underneath her bad girl exterior, as the streetwise girl who falls hard for Shaw, or " Phil Beldone" as he is known to the gang.Though necessarily limited by the television time constraints and censorship, Memo from Purgatory is still a moving and suspenseful story, with excellent performances and believable atmosphere. It captures some of the real sadness of Ellison's book, as he came to realize that the young hoodlums he was involved with were basically lost and lonely kids, who knew no possibility of a better life.Highly recommended.
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