Prince of the City (1981)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Robert Daley (book)
Jay Presson Allen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A cop is turning. Nobody's safe.

Plot:

A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption. However, he soon discovers that he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Corruption | Fur Coat | Neo Noir | Suicide

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Treat Williams	...	Daniel Ciello
Jerry Orbach	...	Gus Levy
Richard Foronjy	...	Joe Marinaro
Don Billett	...	Bill Mayo
Kenny Marino	...	Dom Bando
Carmine Caridi	...	Gino Mascone
Tony Page	...	Raf Alvarez
Norman Parker	...	Rick Cappalino
Paul Roebling	...	Brooks Paige
Bob Balaban	...	Santimassino
James Tolkan	...	District Attorney Polito
Steve Inwood	...	Mario Vincente
Lindsay Crouse	...	Carla Ciello
Matthew Laurance	...	Ronnie Ciello
Tony Turco	...	Socks Ciello

Runtime:

168 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1982) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

La Isla Restaurant - 1439 Myrtle Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Sidney Lumet agreed to direct under two conditions: he wanted an unknown actor to play Leuci and he wanted the running time to be at least three hours long. Treat Williams was unknown at the time but the final cut was edited down to 2 hours and 47 minutes.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the start of the film when Dan is pushing his brother Ronnie around, there's a large crack on the wall (probably from a previous shot). After he pushes Ronnie near the wall, another large crack appears but Ronnie is never shown hitting the wall.

Quotes:

Carla Ciello: Always when I hear you, or Gus, or Joe, any of the guys, you always say nothing's worse than to be a r--
Daniel Ciello: A rat. A rat is when they catch you and make you inform. Nobody caught me. This is my setup, this is my action. And I'm never gonna hurt my partners.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside 'Serpico' (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Love Will Keep Us Together

Unforgettable Movie

Really, a stunning, unforgettable movie. This movie outlined very well the pitfalls, traps and emotional traumas associated with this type of betrayal. Although Danny Ciello wanted to cleanse himself and do the right thing, the path to that was to bring down the cop family, the close, tightly knit unit that he was part of. The tales he told had life-and-death implications for all involved, and may have been more than he bargained for.

Treat Williams was tremendous in this, although I must indicate my one complaint with the movie. That was in Williams' occasional overacting. The pain and emotion mostly was silently played out by Williams. The wrenching, emotional toll was plain to see and sense, even on a tough cop's stoic face. However, Williams occasionally went emotionally berserk, ostensibly to indicate the depth of his turmoil. This is a minor complaint, though. Actually his performance in this was astonishing.

There is a scene in the movie where Danny goes out in the night to help a junkie informant. The junkie is sick and desperate. He has nowhere else to turn except his cop handler, Danny. Danny finds himself in the position of having to get his informant his fix to keep him from getting violently sick. Danny finds himself running around in the rain and mud, ripping off another sick junkie of his stash. This junkie is desperate, too, and his cries dig deep into Danny as he rips him off. Later, when he takes the junkie home, his wife/girlfriend gets the drugs, disappears into the bathroom and takes them. When the junkie breaks into the bathroom, she tells him that the drugs were junk, and she flushed them down the toilet. The junkie is back where he started, and he begins beating her. Danny stands there, soaking wet and muddy, stunned by what is happening, and what he is out there doing. This simple scene is played out very well, and Treat Williams stands there with the revulsion and heartbreak played out on his face. This is not what he is supposed to be doing; this is not what he became a cop for.

A well-directed, well-acted movie.