You feel such a sense of determination in Jack Terry's goals that you become him. When he talks to the cop you feel his frustration and he acts as you would when he tells the cop to go f**k himself. Visually it nails the grimy cityscape and its limited set of characters adds to the sense of isolation and paranoia. Everyone's performance feels very human, not necessarily realistic, Lithgow's character is incredibly evil but feels very human, the same with Sally's coworker in terms of his sleaze. The beautiful score by Donaggio plays a major roll and contrasts against the not so beautiful setting and subject matter and is crucial in enhancing scenes, especially towards the end. The same can be said with Zsigmond's cinematography, experimental in some places but not at all distracting.

This is a brilliant movie from start to finish, had me hooked all the way.