“Between Wars is akin to a Scorsese movie, if the legendary filmmaker never put his head up his a*s. It has the same gritty atmosphere and uses New York City as a character in similar ways. Phillips and Panebianco’s debut feels like Taxi Driver meets Raging Bull, in the best way possible. The streets teem with life, both mundane and intense. An early bar fight is filmed by bystanders, which adds realism. The way the gangs deal with problems, both internal and external, comes across as natural and makes sense.”