TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! In American Film, there is a tradition of the vignette movie. This style of film takes a single object, say a hundred-dollar bill, and it tracks the misadventures the piece of paper experiences going from one hand to the next. With Money Talk$, we witness these misadventures all while Ronald Regan is being sworn into office. This is New York City, in 1981. As other films will confirm, 1981 was the most dangerous, crime-ridden year in New York’s history.
Money Talk$ is Tony Mucci’s first short film. He has previously directed several music videos in the hip-hop genre. With this offering, we get a sense of Mucci’s sensibilities both as a writer and a director. Directing off a script he wrote with David Mazouz, Mucci is aspiring to the sort of unpredictable seediness you find in early Scorsese feature films. I imagine he would have loved to have shot that entrance that Robert De Niro possesses in Mean Streets. Walking into the tones of Jumping Jack Flash conveyed a sense of reckless, sexy danger. Such is the tone of Money Talk$.
“She made the best use of the $100 bill…”
There are several aspects of these vignettes in Money Talk$ that I really like. First, some of the characters appear in multiple short scenes. There’s an obnoxious, mouthy Italian immigrant Taxi cab driver (George De Noto) who exists to remind us that New York City is the least kind city in the whole of America. Then there’s Franklin (David Mazouz). He’s a shady clerk who works at a toy shop and spends all his money getting high. If there’s a drug on the market, Franklin has seemingly sampled it. Finally, there’s Cleopatra (Zolee Griggs). She’s a great dancer who turned to striptease in 1981, as it was a steady paycheck. Her story is the most surprising, as she seems to connect many more dots than anyone else together. Additionally, she made the best use of the $ 100 bill, giving it to a homeless veteran.
Money Talk$ is a fast-paced film. At times uneasy, the tension is orchestrated beautifully by the direction and script. You get the sense Mucci is a filmmaker who, when he finds his own voice, it will be truly unique and dangerous. Check it out if you like crime stories.
Money Talk$ screened at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
"…reckless sexy danger..."
