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Mac is a 1992 indie crime drama set in the clannish backstreets of Queens, New York. The movie is directed by John Turturro and stars himself, Michael Badalucco, and Carl Capotorto as the protagonists. The film depicts the daily struggles of three lifelong friends as they strive to make ends meet in a harsh neighborhood ruled by the Italian-American Mafia.

Mac, the central character and the movie's namesake, is a thin, bespectacled, bookish man in his mid-30s with asthma. He's a civilian car thief who dreams of one day becoming a great artist, a dream he shares with his two buddies, Vico and Bruno. The trio doesn't steal cars for adventure or excitement, but just to survive. Mac is often the lookout or the wheelman, while Vico and Bruno commit the actual theft.

Things start to get complicated when Mac gets romantically involved with the beautiful and enigmatic Rosaria, an Italian immigrant, and also the niece of the local Mafia boss, Nicky DiBella. Nicky becomes suspicious of Mac and orders him to steal a car, specifically an Audi, as a test of his loyalty. Mac has to choose between his love for Rosaria and his loyalty to his friends.

Meanwhile, Vico and Bruno are doing a terrible job of delivering a stolen car to their contact, Benny, and end up in a car chase with the police. They abandon the car in a junkyard, hoping to retrieve it later, but things go awry when Bruno gets into a fistfight with a security guard. The security guard ends up dead, and Benny puts a price on Vico and Bruno's heads.

From then on, the movie intensifies, with the plot not only following Mac's love affair with Rosaria but also his struggles with his conscience, deteriorating asthma, and his search for a way out of his predicament. Vico and Bruno, on the other hand, are trying to outrun the hitmen that Benny has sent after them. When the three finally come together, it all comes to an end in a final showdown between them and Benny and his henchmen.

The movie's pacing is slow and deliberate, but its characters are drawn with an eye for detail, and their motivations are clear. It depicts a world where aspirations are limited, and becoming a criminal is often seen as the only way out of crushing poverty. The film's tone is melancholic, with the score by Kathleen Brennan and Tom Waits contributing to the film's sense of gritty urban decay.

Mac is a character study that examines the themes of friendship, loyalty, and survival in the margins of society. It explores the limitations of those living in an area ruled by organized crime and the struggles they face to leave that environment. It is a movie that does not glorify crime or violence but instead shows it as a brutal and unforgiving reality for the people living in that world.

Overall, despite its slow pace, Mac is a well-made indie crime drama with excellent performances from its lead actors. It presents a stark and unvarnished portrayal of criminal life in Queens and the hard choices that people living in poverty have to make to survive. The film is a somber meditation on loyalty, friendship, and the choices people make in life.

Mac is a 1992 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 58 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.2.