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City on Fire

  • 19791979
  • K-16K-16
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
4.3/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
25,854
5,286
City on Fire (1979)
ActionDrama
A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city.A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city.A pyromaniac, ex-employee of a city oil refinery creates an explosion at the facility which starts a chain-reaction of fires that engulf the entire city.
IMDb RATING
4.3/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
25,854
5,286
  • Director
    • Alvin Rakoff
  • Writers
    • Jack Hill
    • David P. Lewis
    • Céline La Frenière
  • Stars
    • Barry Newman
    • Susan Clark
    • Shelley Winters
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alvin Rakoff
  • Writers
    • Jack Hill
    • David P. Lewis
    • Céline La Frenière
  • Stars
    • Barry Newman
    • Susan Clark
    • Shelley Winters
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos28

    City on Fire (1979)
    City on Fire (1979)
    City on Fire (1979)
    Leslie Nielsen in City on Fire (1979)
    Shelley Winters and Susan Clark in City on Fire (1979)
    Leslie Nielsen and Ava Gardner in City on Fire (1979)
    Leslie Nielsen in City on Fire (1979)
    Leslie Nielsen in City on Fire (1979)
    Jonathan Welsh in City on Fire (1979)
    Henry Fonda in City on Fire (1979)
    City on Fire (1979)
    City on Fire (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Barry Newman
    Barry Newman
    • Dr. Frank Whitman
    Susan Clark
    Susan Clark
    • Diana Brockhurst-Lautrec
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Nurse Andrea Harper
    Leslie Nielsen
    Leslie Nielsen
    • Mayor William Dudley
    James Franciscus
    James Franciscus
    • Jimbo
    Ava Gardner
    Ava Gardner
    • Maggie Grayson
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Risley - Fire Chief
    Jonathan Welsh
    • Herman Stover
    Hilary Farr
    Hilary Farr
    • Mrs. Adams
    • (as Hilary Labow)
    Richard Donat
    Richard Donat
    • Capt. Harrison Risley
    Mavor Moore
    • John O'Brien
    Donald Pilon
    Donald Pilon
    • Dr. Matwick
    Terry Haig
    • Terry James
    Cec Linder
    Cec Linder
    • Councilman Paley
    Ken James
    • Andrew
    Jefferson Mappin
    Jefferson Mappin
    • Beezer
    • (as Jeff Mappin)
    Earl Pennington
    • Mr. Clark
    Sonny Forbes
    • Tom
    • Director
      • Alvin Rakoff
    • Writers
      • Jack Hill
      • David P. Lewis
      • Céline La Frenière
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shell Oil, which owned a $600-million refinery that the production wanted to use as a location, granted permission as a gesture of raising awareness about safety issues (the dangers of locating oil refineries near cities).
    • Goofs
      Although set in an unnamed American city (identifiable because of the appearance of USA flags in a few scenes), the television station setting for the movie has the call letters listed as CFTM-TV. In the United States, all television and radio station call letters begin with either the letter K (for states west of the Mississippi River), or the letter W (for states east of the Mississippi River). The letter C is used for all of Canada's provinces.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Chief Albert Risley: All it takes is one man, could be anybody... your neighbor, my neighbor... one man to destroy a city.

    • Connections
      Edited from Bullitt (1968)

    User reviews40

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Another late-70s disaster time-waster.
    "City on Fire" was made in 1979, when the disaster genre was already past its prime - and a dispirited, tired affair it is. Most of the actors (except for the amusingly unbalanced villain) sleepwalk through their roles, possibly knowing that the film had no chance of reviving the genre. At least there are some pretty realistic effects, though the movie never makes clear how exactly the fire spread over the entire city. (**)
    helpful•13
    7
    • gridoon
    • Jul 13, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 29, 1979 (Canada)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Kaupunki liekeissä
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Astral Bellevue Pathé
      • Astral Films
      • Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $784,181
    • Gross worldwide
      • $784,181
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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