Night of the Juggler (1980)

A tough, New York ex-cop relentlessly searches for his kidnapped teenage daughter whom is held by a twisted psycho after mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

Director:

Robert Butler

Writers:

William P. McGivern (novel), Rick Natkin (screenplay),

Stars:

James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Richard S. Castellano

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Brolin	...	Sean Boyd
Cliff Gorman	...	Gus Soltic
Richard S. Castellano	...	Lt. Tonelli (as Richard Castellano)
Linda Miller	...	Barbara Boyd (as Linda G. Miller)
Barton Heyman	...	Preacher
Sully Boyar	...	Larry the Dog Catcher
Julie Carmen	...	Maria
Abby Bluestone	...	Kathy Boyd
Dan Hedaya	...	Sgt. Otis Barnes
Mandy Patinkin	...	Allesandro the Cabbie
Marco St. John	...	Hampton Richmond Clayton III
Frank Adu	...	Wino
Nancy Andrews	...	Mrs. Logan
Rick Anthony	...	M.C.
Tony Azito	...	Peep Show Cashier

Storyline

A tough cop goes on a citywide rampage when his daughter is mistakenly kidnapped by a psycho. The psycho had originally targeted someone else's daughter, but is just as prepared to kill anybody unless his colossal ransom demands are met.

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Plot Keywords:

ransom | new york | death | psychopath | police | 

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Taglines:

In the heart of every victim is a hero and he'll tear apart a city to prove it.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1980 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Fort Bronx

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, GCC Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before Gus takes Kathy underground, he yells to Sean, "I'm gonna fuck her!" and repeats it two more times, but the MPAA strongly advised the makers of the movie to dub out the word "fuck" at that scene because they felt that it was wrong for an adult male to say that he was going to have sex with an underage girl. Instead, Cliff Gorman's quote was fixed for him to say, "I'm gonna keep her."

User Reviews

Awesome B-movie Action!!! Find It If You Can!

This movie has it all if you love raw b-movie action. Brolin plays an ex-cop turned trucker who's on a personal manhunt to catch the maniac that kidnapped his daughter on her birthday. This sets Brolin's character on a chase across NYC from the subways to strip clubs to dog pounds and beyond.

This movie was a legend back in the day for my friends and I. We caught it on late night cable, but never managed to grab the full name of the film or the stars. What we did catch was the INCREDIBLE chase scene that takes the characters from cars to buses to trains to on foot as they crisscross Manhattan. Yeah, Bullitt and The French Connection are good and all, but the Night of the Juggler chase scene makes the action in those films seem average, if not unambitious.

This movie is sort of like the pinnacle of 70s/80s street-style film making. It has the intense, raw camera work of Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris flicks, paired with a vision of New York City akin to Wild Style (and maybe even just a hint of the Warriors). The characters here are a bizarre amalgam of clichés that still excite despite being retreads in many ways.

The bottom line - score this movie if you can! Far as I know, VHS was the final destination for this film in terms of home video. I bought my copy off of the Internet years ago and the tape was so old that it was broken. But I was determined to watch this flick (because it's so good!), so I cracked the case opened and and spent hours repairing the tape myself. It's just that awesome.