The Public Eye (1992)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Howard Franklin

Writer (WGA):

Howard Franklin (written by)

Release Date:

16 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Murder. Scandal. Crime. No matter what he was shooting, "The Great Bernzini" never took sides he only took pictures... Except once.

Plot:

Story of a 1940s photographer who specializes in crime and in not getting involved... until this time.

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Mob | News Photographer | 1940s | New York City

Cast

Joe Pesci	...	Leon Bernstein
Richard Riehle	...	Officer O'Brien
Bryan Travis Smith	...	Young Cop
Max Brooks	...	Teen at Thompson Street
Richard Schiff	...	Thompson Street Photographer
Laura Cerón	...	Puerto Rican Woman
Chuck Gillespie	...	Cop at Puerto Rican Tenement
Christian Stolte	...	Ambulance Attendant (as Christian Stolti)
Jack Denbo	...	Photo Editor
Ellen McElduff	...	Lonely Woman at Drugstore
Marge Kotlisky	...	Rineman's Receptionist
Timothy Hendrickson	...	Richard Rineman
Del Close	...	H.R. Rineman
Henry Bolzon	...	Cafe Society Photographer
Jared Harris	...	Danny the Doorman

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:12 | USA:R (MPAA #31925) | France:U | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The character of Bernzy was inspired by real-life photographer Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig, and some of Bernzy's photos are in fact Fellig's.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Burnsey's 35mm camera is either an Exakta V or VX. Those models were introduced in 1950 and 1951, respectively, and would not have been available during the 1940's.

Quotes:

Leon (Bernzy) Bernstein: Nobody does what I do. Nobody.

Movie Connections:

References Don't Turn 'em Loose (1936)

Soundtrack:

You Can't Say No to a Soldier

An unappreciated film

I was stunned by this movie when I saw it, because I'd never heard of it before and it was so excellent. Joe Pesci puts in possibly the best performance of his career, far different than many of his other roles (in other words, he doesn't play a little angry, cursing mobster). Another great actor, Barbara Hershey, also puts in a great performance. The film is directed with subtle but powerful artistry. There are actually themes in this movie! Metaphors! Basically, it's just plain great, but of course totally overlooked because it's not your typical overdone Hollywood film. My favorite scenes are these: the part in the middle of the gun battle when Pesci's character gets a gun pointed at his head, but can only respond by lifting up his camera and taking a picture, and the very final scene when Pesci's buddy tries to turn off his police scanner and he says, "You can't turn it off." A great film.