Defiance is a 1980 American action neo noir crime film directed by John Flynn and starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Art Carney, and Theresa Saldana.

He rents a cheap, rundown apartment on the Lower East Side, while harassing a supervisor named Karenski to find him any ship assignment.

At the corner grocery store, the owner, Abe, agrees to take Tommy's phone calls until he gets a telephone installed.

At a nightclub, gang leader Angel Cruz gives money to an older Latino named El Bravo, and presents his lady with Tommy's paints.

Soon, Tommy takes a walk and talks to his young neighbor and his guardian, Whacko, who are collecting junk by the waterfront.

She tells him she used to share an apartment on the Upper West Side with three other roommates, but now she lives on Barrow Street because she knows the neighborhood and people are friendly.

The next day, Tommy takes a walk with the kid and finds out that he ran away from foster homes and now lives with Whacko.

Upon returning to his apartment, Tommy is struck by dead rats that hang by the front door and sees that his walls have been covered in graffiti.

The next day, a neighbor, Carmine DeFranco, invites Tommy out for a drink at the nearby Sportsmen Bar and they become friends.

The police arrive to file a report, but the victims are afraid of being further harassed by the gang and refuse to sign a complaint.

In a meeting with Karenski, Tommy is told to report to a container ship on Pier 44 called American Trader in one week.

After the Souls leave, Tommy installs bars on his apartment windows, and waits until the last minute to tell Marsha that he is shipping out.

As a taxicab takes Tommy to the ship, he sees the kid running on the street and tells the driver to stop.

Marsha and the kid prop up a dazed but alive Tommy, who tells officers he wants to sign a complaint.