Before They Were Stars: Vincent D’Onofrio in “It Don’t Pay to Be an Honest Citizen”

In between appearing in a Troma film and delivering his breakthrough performance in Full Metal Jacket, Vincent D’Onofrio starred in an ultra-low budget 1984 Brooklyn-shot film called It Don’t Pay to Be an Honest Citizen. D’Onofrio plays a hoodlum who mugs an aspiring filmmaker and steals a copy of the documentary he just made. It Don’t Pay to Be an Honest Citizen is pretty obscure and seems to be amateurishly made, but aside from D’Onofrio’s early role, it is also notable for featuring random cameos from the likes of Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs!