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Prince of the City More at IMDbPro »

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46 reviews in total

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33 out of 34 people found the following review useful:
accurate portrayal of use and behavior of informants, 9 January 2002
Author: silbosco from New York, NY

I've been a defense lawyer in NYC for the past 35 yars. I have more than a passing familiarity with some of the actual trials and appeals generated by Ciello's (Treat Williams' character) testimony. More broadly, I can attest to the accuracy of the film's depiction of the agonies, doubts, remorse and dreads of the turncoat/informant-witness in criminal cases. No film has developed this theme - a very common one in federal criminal trials, but one never visible to the public - as thoroughly as this film. "Goodfellas" devoted a few minutes to this, but only to the witness protection aspect after Henry Hill decided to testify, and never developed the broader, morally ambiguos dimensions of becoming an informer who turns on former close associates.

Nor has any other film more accurately revealed the way government prosecutors deal with their informants, which is not always pretty; often prosecutors treat their informers in ways that paralell the way Ciello treated his junkie informers on the street - he supplied them with drugs when he needed them, but he also abused, ignored or took advantage of their vulnerabilities when the need suited him.

The film also displayed, though it did not emphasize, another aspect of the prosecutor/informant relationship: willful blindness to likely perjury. Here, when Ciello offers to cooperate, prosecutors sternly insist that he tell the whole truth, not just about the crimes committed by others but by Ciello himself. They want to be assured of this not only because legal ethics demand it, but because their cases can fall apart if the defense later uncovers and reveals nasty secrets about the informant to the trial jury to undermine the informant's credibility. Here, as in the actual case, Ciello insisted that he had committed "only three" crimes while a NYPD detective. While prosecutors sensed, but did not actually know, right from the start that this was highly unlikely, and that Ciello was in fact concealing both the number and severity of his past misdeeds, they preferred not to inquire too deeply, and did little independent investigation of Ciello's prior misconduct on the force ("willful blindness"). That came back to haunt them, because after the trials, the defense lawyers dug up many of Ciello's hitherto unrevealed criminal deeds, and severely damaged his credibility, almost fatally imperiling the convictions his testimony had been so helpful in procuring. This film portrays not only the moral dilemma of the informant, but the moral dilemma of prosecutors, who desperately need informants to build their cases, but who have mixed feelings about learning too much about their unsavory pasts.

By the way, the detective played by Jerry Orbach has been a private investigator for the past 20 years or so (though never convicted, he was discharged from the police force); I've hired him, and he is terrific!!

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25 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Possibly the best cop film ever made, 3 February 2004
Author: hausrathman

Treat Williams plays a corrupt New York narcotics detective who tries to redeem himself by volunteering to go undercover on the force to weed out other corrupt policeman only to find himself facing an increasingly difficult series of moral dilemmas involving his former partners. This intelligent film is possibly the best cop film ever made. Treat Williams delivers the best performance of his career although the excellent supporting cast, Jerry Orbach, in particular, comes very close to stealing the movie right out from under him. Williams is so good here that you can't believe he is the same guy who later appeared in "Dead Heat." (What happened?) Director Sidney Lumet, who also co-wrote the insightful, penetrating script with Jay Presson Allen, was never better. He does such a great job that you can't believe he's the same guy who directed "Family Business." (What happened?) The film is long, but you never lose interest. A must see.

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27 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
move over Raging Bull, Godfather, Goodfellas, On the Waterfront, you've got company, 28 June 2002

Author: stuhh2001 from cherry hill, nj

You know the gag, "Behind the tinsel and glitter of Hollywood, there's a lot more tinsel and glitter." Well behind the filth and corruption of the so called "War On Drugs", there's a lot more filth and corruption. When I was a young and naive budding trumpet player, I idolized a trumpet player by the name of Red Rodney. He played with Charley Parker. That's like starting for the Yankees. Like Parker he became addicted to heroin. To me he was royalty. The drug life for him was one of incarceration and constant police surveillance. One day he said a common occurance during an arrest was for the police to take and keep any money he had, and take AND SELL THE DRUGS THEY CONFISCATED! After seeing this movie do you have any doubts? I saw Sidney Lumet give a talk about his career. After the talk was over, I went up and asked him how could the Ciello character even dream about talking to the Feds, knowing that his entire operation was mired in illegal hanky panky. Lumet says he asked Bob Leucci, the real life Danny Ciello, and he told Lumet to this day he still can't truly explain it. Where did Treat Williams, a competant actor up till this movie summon the greatness he reaches. The disintegration from a cocky cop who thinks he owns New York City, to a weasel who causes suicide and ruin for his closest buddies and their families is heartbreaking. The virtuoso cast and Williams probably said after seeing the film, "How the hell can we top this?" You want to know something? THEY NEVER HAVE! An American classic, not to be missed!

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21 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A Lost Masterpiece?, 23 December 2001
Author: Eric M. Van (emvan@post.harvard.edu) from Watertown, Mass.

A few years after this was in the theaters, it was shown on TV over two nights. I remember reading that a significant amount of footage that had been cut for the theatrical version would be restored for the TV showing. That piqued my curiosity, so I watched -- and was completely blown away.

But what amazed me the most was that I couldn't spot one scene that could be taken out of the movie without seriously compromising it. Since I knew it had been cut and restored, I was pointedly looking for stand-alone scenes that only fleshed out the characters but weren't integral to the extremely complex storyline. There weren't any. Every single scene contained some important bit of information that cast light on and helped make sense of something elsewhere in the movie.

Ever since then, I've been patiently waiting for this director's cut to show up on VHS, LD, or DVD -- and refusing to watch the theatrical cut! It's been 15 years and I'm still waiting. But I would certainly think that eventually this will come out on DVD, and we can al hope and pray that it will do so in the full version.

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18 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Excellent Film, Unflinchingly Realistic, 27 September 2004
Author: louiepatti from Manassas, VA

Much has been made of this film's brilliance and how it was glaringly ignored at that year's Oscars. It richly deserved the awards it never received. Its realistic, gritty feel comes from the fact that the movie was lifted straight from the book, with only name changes. The viewer is drawn into the unraveling world of a narcotics' policeman as he recoils in disgust from what he does to maintain his squad's phenomenally high arrest rate, i.e., stealing, bribing, corrupting themselves to nail the corrupt. Cielo first targets people far from him but then the circle tightens until he fingers his own men. For a cop to rat on fellow cops is a deeply ingrained anomaly, an affront to the ties that bind the police in a brotherhood deeper than blood. The direction is great, the dialog heavily laced with coarse language that deepens the realism, and the acting is fantastic. Treat Williams never again received a role nor gave a performance that approached the stellar proportions of this one. Jerry Orbach is so immersed in his part that Dick Wolf cast him as a homicide detective for Law & Order based on seeing his acting in this movie. All of the characters are three-dimensional, human and evoke emotions. Some are admirable, others pitiful, some are despicable. Though long, Prince of the City is never boring, and it leaves its moral dilemmas largely unanswered, letting the viewer sort out who did the right thing. This film was made by Sidney Lumet as an apology to the NYPD for his hatchet job in Serpico. It succeeds in more ways than mere atonement; this movie is superior to its predecessor in many ways and was inexcusably blown off at that year's Academy Awards. Still powerful and has aged well, even if Treat Williams and Lumet haven't.

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14 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
One of Lumet's best!, 23 January 2003
Author: jlrayfield

Prince of the City is probably Sidney Lumet's best film to date. It is better then Serpico because it shows how dirty police corruption can get. Everyone is guilty in this film to some degree, there are no hero's. The viewer is taken inside the world of drug addicts and drug dealers, cops, lawyers and judges and is shown how easy it is for them to sell out and how sad it is when they do sell out. While "Prince of the City is a very long film and sometimes gets a little slowed down, it is a great story that is worth watching.

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12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Unforgettable Movie, 18 July 2005

Author: jmorrison-2 from Farmington Hills, MI

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.

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic Police Drama, 17 August 2004

Author: clockwork8812 from USA

Many people consider this movie to be one of the greatest police dramas ever made. It definitely looks and feels real. But many people have never even heard of this film. It's high time it was released on DVD with all the toppings because it was directed by Sidney Lumet, who is one of the greatest directors in modern day cinema. The film is based on a true story that happened throughout the 70's concerning a narc who out of the clear blue sky had a change of heart and decided to drop a dime on his entire squad. The story concerns him testifying not only against his former co-workers, but corrupt lawyers, bail bondsmen and the mob. Treat Williams, who plays the lead character is a dynamite actor who has never gotten the credit he deserves. Sure he's been around forever and has an impressive resume, but a lot of people have never even heard of this guy. As for the movie itself, even though it's about a special investigative unit in the New York City police department, there isn't much action here like you see in other police films. It's mostly dialogue that comes across as realistic and powerful. This is not a movie for children. The fact that it's based on a true story makes it look all the more real. If you liked Jerry Orbach on LAW & ORDER, then you'll like him here.

Score, 8 out of 10 Stars

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9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Redemption, 2 January 2004
Author: mdefranc from NY

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The scales of justice drop and rise constantly in this outstanding performance by Treat Williams. By far his best interpretation to date.

The difference between "Law On The Books" and "Law In Practice" is shown in Prince Of The City. Daniel Ciello's decision making process is a constant Russian roulette, as his destiny is a mystery until the end. Making a deal is the name of the game in this movie and Danny Ciello certainly gets the deal of his lifetime when the government decides to use the testimony on his and his partner's misconduct as collateral for the entire investigation.

Daniel Ciello decides to do the right thing by ratting out himself and everyone else. A deep attempt to start again, to redeem himself. The law forgives Danny at the end however, the "unofficial" rules of life will show him the tab he'll have to pick up when, during a training class of rookies, Detective Stern asks "Are you THE Detective Ciello?"

Kind of a positive-negative image of Lumet's Serpico, where the Cop is directly fighting police corruption. In Prince Of The City instead we see a gradual change in the bad guy's behavior, from corrupt cop to redeemed human being/whistle blower. I believe Pacino's soul in "Dog's Day Afternoon" had also contemplated a similar redemption path (Shown by his interaction with his hostages, unlike John Cazale's cold behavior).

The movie is a repertoire of a long investigation which lasted over ten years. Sometime after Frank Serpico's repeated complaints and reports on NYPD corruption, the U.S. Department of Justice established an investigative body, the Knapp Commission, led by Judge Whitman Knapp. Treat Williams portrays real life former NYPD Detective Robert Leuci whose knowledge and information on his corrupt fellow officers working in the SIU (Special Investigative Unit), along with over two years of dangerous undercover work, dismantled an entire "Sub-division" composed by about eighty narcotics detectives, most of whom served time in prison. The SIU's detective body was responsible, along with several other felonies, for the infamous "French Connection Rip off", which consisted in the removal and reselling of over 110 lb of heroin from a police evidence room.

The testimony of Robert Leuci was an important milestone in the effort to fight police corruption; Leuci's testimony, although he acted in good faith in order to redeem himself and put a stop on such heinous actions, cost some of his partners' lives, as they committed suicide once the various acts of misconduct became public knowledge. The movie is a real life story based on a book by former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Daley, whose work was made possible by Leuci's full cooperation.

Treat Williams was definitely worthy of an Academy Award, just like Al Pacino was in Serpico.

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
It Isn't Easy Being Blue, 24 March 2002

Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In Lumet's earlier work, Serpico, Frankie went through little in the way of a crisis of conscience. His fellow cops were corrupt bullies, comic Paisanos, sadistic goons, or real mean mothers. Serpico was an immensely popular movie for a number of good reasons, including the fact that it was a story of good guys against bad. Prince of the City is by no means as simple as that. It's far more demanding of the viewer and, in that sense, a better story. Once you join a secret organization -- the Mafia, the NSC, the NYPD -- you learn that the rules don't always follow the guide book's. The difference between theory and practice is much greater in practice than in theory. Inevitably, there must be slippage between the ideal and the real. Shortcuts are developed, corners rounded, edges softened. The world outside this cocoon of secrecy doesn't know about the slippage, except in rare instances in which it's squeezed out into public view, such as the defense presentation in the O. J. Simpson trial.

Cielo brings himself, recklessly, almost hysterically, through a tentacular process, to rat one by one on the only people he truly can trust and who reciprocate that trust. They are not only his partners but his closest friends. When he almost breaks down from guilt at a backyard party, they take him aside and offer support, money, understanding, as much love as one tough cop can express for another. But it hardly helps. As he tells them, he's seeking absolution, perhaps a bit wistfully preoccupied with achieving what his last name implies. He blows the whistle while he is still an integrated, respected, even honored member of the organization, first on small fry, then people he's bonded with. As he says to the federal investigators for whom he is acting as informant, "The cops care more about me than you guys do." (He's right, too. Other cops save his bacon more than once while the feds are providing a dismal simulacrum of back-up.)

These feds as we first meet them are represented by an interesting trio. The first one that Danny contacts (not the other way around) is patient, quiet, thoughtful, steepling his fingers before his face and waiting patiently while Danny works out his own justification for his betrayal, a kind of psychiatric fed. The second is the closest we come to a bad guy; his background includes Andover and Harvard and he has the inexpressive face of the FBI agents in Dog Day Afternoon. We know just by looking at him that he is the kind of guy who lives on Central Park West instead of Queens, the kind of guy cops hate, and Danny tells him so up front. He's the reason that cops feed heroin to their junkie snitches, and why they resentfully skim money off narcotics takes. He turns out to be not unsympathetic; it's okay to go to Harvard, I guess. The third, Bob Balaban, we meet last. He's in charge, a prissy, clipped instrument of distant authority. The feds not only provide inadequate protection, but when Danny feels he has gone as far as he morally can in his cooperation, they pat him on the back, assure him that we're all on the same side here, you know, and then coerce him into further betrayals with threats of perjury. When they're through with him they don't discard him, they do everything in their power to pin the French Connection debacle on him. When that doesn't work they bring up a junkie's payoff of four hundred dollars that some cop may have taken years ago. As Danny says, they'd get you for bad breath if they could. Not only does Danny lose his best friends but his family turns against him as well. His cousin Nick is whacked for warning Danny that a contract is out on him. Nick's family won't allow a drunken Danny into the funeral home. Serpico certainly suffered but he didn't go through anything like this torture.

The lengthy narrative involves many characters and a good deal of intrigue and is sometimes hard to follow, which I take as a measure of verisimilitude. There are no car chases, no shoot outs, and no slow-motion violence. No violence at all.

Treat Williams as Danny is an underused actor. Perhaps the reason he never became a major star is the very trait that makes him so effective in this role: a determined set of masculine features undermined by a weak voice that suggests an almost feminine vulnerability. His suicidal impulses are made believable. This is his best performance. Lindsay Crouse as Danny's wife has not much to do, but nobody is better than she at gradually allowing her face to melt from a smile into an expression of dismayed disbelief. His partners, whom he sends over, including Jerry Orbach, are more than adequate for their parts, hard-nosed but sensitive cops with families, who only reluctantly can allow themselves to believe that Danny is guilty of what no cop would do to another, turning over his partners. Nailed, two of them eat their guns, which doesn't help Danny's spiritual predicament.

This story doesn't end with the protagonist's bittersweet success. Serpico's story was sad, as was Terry Malloy's in On the Waterfront, but Danny's is tragic. In the end this isn't about one good cop in a barrel of rotten ones. It more resembles a quest for redemption by means of a penance so intense as to amount of self flagellation, teetering at times on the brink of suicide. Danny destroys the real world around him and in the process, like Sampson, destroys himself because if we are not after all a part of the things and people we love, and they a part of us, then what are we?

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