Knights of the City (1986)

A street gang that is also a rap group tries to get a record contract.

Director:

Dominic Orlando

Writer:

Leon Isaac Kennedy

Stars:

Leon Isaac Kennedy, Nicholas Campbell, John Mengatti

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leon Isaac Kennedy	...	Troy
Nicholas Campbell	...	Joey
John Mengatti	...	Mookie
Stoney Jackson	...	Eddie
Dino Henderson	...	Dino
Curtis Lema	...	Ramrod
Mr. Freeze	...	Mr. Freeze (as Marc Lemberger)
Jeff Moldovan	...	Carlos
Sonny Anthony	...	Sonny
Jay Amor	...	Red Cap
Eddie Guy	...	Eddie
Peter Nicholas	...	Hairboy
Peter Nicholas	...	Hairboy
Stan Ward	...	Buddha
Stan Ward	...	Buddha

Storyline

A street gang that is also a rap group tries to get a record contract.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | street gang | rap | rap music | rival | 

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Taglines:

It was the night of their lives.

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Genres:

Action | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cry of the City

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$412,258, 17 February 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$601,451

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grace

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sammy Davis Jr. filmed a cameo appearance and appears in a publicity still. But his scene was deleted from the final cut.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and VHS versions are cut by 7 seconds for an '18'. The uncut version was released on DVD in 2004, downgraded to '15'.

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Connections

Referenced in 42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street (2015)

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Soundtracks

Let the Music Play
Written by Christopher Barbosa & Edward Chisolm
Performed by Shannon

User Reviews

Not worthy of your time...

It isn't often that I would say that a film has almost no redeeming value. Sadly, this is one of those cases. "Knights of the City" has virtually nothing going for it. The story is pretty bad and rather uninteresting. The characters are decent, I suppose, but nothing spectacular. The acting is far from top-notch, but I've seen worse. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the cast is made up of unknowns (and this was made back in 1986...so they've all had some time to make a name for themselves).

The only cast member that I did recognize is Janine Turner from "Cliffhanger" and must I say that she is the ONLY reason to watch this film. Janine looks absolutely fantastic in the film.

The ending to the film is unbelievably unsatisfying. The whole point of the film was that these a-little-too-old-to-be-gang-bangers wanted to get out of their wasted lifestyle and do something meaningful. But in the end, they basically threw it all away and stuck with their barbaric ways...at least they have each other right? ...And the main guy (Leon Isaac Kennedy) didn't even get the girl in the end!!! I guess I have to give the makers some credit for not being predictable and somewhat ballsy...but this was just stupid if you ask me.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, unless you are really into the look of Michael Jackson's "Bad" Music Video or films like "The Warriors" (1979). I thought this film was rather laughable and obviously made in the 1980's. If for some reason you MUST see this film, I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Thanks for reading,

-Chris