It was adapted from the Richard Price novel, SC. He's long been a hero of mine---A Bronx Jewish boy made good. He grew up in the Olinville projects just a bit north of my old neighborhood (Belmont), and he proves my point once again with his great ear for dialogue, that Jews and Italians are exactly the same. If you didn't know it, you'd think his books were written by a Bronx Italian guy, like Chazz Palminteri. If you've never read the book, you should. It's much darker than the film.