City of Industry (1997)

A retired thief swears revenge on the lunatic who murdered his brother and partner, while going on the run with the loot they stole.

Director:

John Irvin

Writer:

Ken Solarz

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, Timothy Hutton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	Roy Egan
Stephen Dorff	...	Skip Kovich
Timothy Hutton	...	Lee Egan
Famke Janssen	...	Rachel Montana
Wade Dominguez	...	Jorge Montana
Michael Jai White	...	Odell Williams
Lucy Liu	...	Cathi Rose (as Lucy Alexis Liu)
Reno Wilson	...	Keshaun Brown
Dana Barron	...	Gena
Tamara Clatterbuck	...	Sunny
Brian Brophy	...	Backus
François Chau	...	Uncle Luke
Flex Alexander	...	A Roc (as Flex)
Brian Shen	...	Pai-Gow Dealer
Ai Wan	...	Gwen

Storyline

Lee Egan lures his older brother Roy out of "retirement" with a sweet jewel heist, only to get killed by a backstabbing partner; then it's up to Roy to get revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | bare breasts | revenge | heist | bikini | 

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Taglines:

A bad place to live, a worse place to die.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, violence and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Orion

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

City of Crime

Filming Locations:

620 S Ardmore Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,374,839, 21 March 1997

Gross USA:

$1,495,332, 30 March 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Largo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The line, "I'm my own police", spoken by Roy (Harvey Keitel), is taken directly from This Gun for Hire (1942).

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Goofs

Roy stays at a motel with a commercial propane (LPG) storage tank right next to his unit. This is a flagrant OSHA violation of section 1910.110, which says that large quantities must be stored at least 25 feet away from any building.

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Quotes

Keshaun Brown: Where you been?
Skip Kovich: Getting laid by your old lady.
Keshaun Brown: Just drive, motherfucker.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were cut by 6 secs by the BBFC to remove a possibly imitable technique showing a burgled car being started by using a penknife in the ignition.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Return of the Jedi: Special Edition/Love Jones/The Godfather/City of Industry/Troublesome Creek/Mandela (1997)

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Soundtracks

SILVER TURKEY
Written and performed by Buffalo Daughter

User Reviews

"Noir" In The City

In this contemporary film noir, two brothers with the same alma mater-- Folsom Prison-- discover something about loyalty and what `honor among thieves' really means, in `City of Industry,' directed by John Irvin. Lee Egan (Timothy Hutton) puts together a crew of four men, including his brother, Roy (Harvey Keitel), to take down a jewelry store in Palm Springs, California. If all goes well, they look to score a cool three mil in diamonds, and Lee has a fence in L.A. ready to move the merchandise. Lee and Roy are solid, as is Jorge (Wade Dominguez), the third member of the crew who is already looking at 2 to 5 in Folsom, having been convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. Jorge wants a quick score that will take care of his wife, Rachel (Famke Janssen), and their two kids while he's away. The wild card of the bunch is Skip Kovich (Stephen Dorff), their wheel man; he has a wild streak that emboldens him too much for his own good, a flaky girlfriend and some ideas of his own about how the split from the job should go down. Lee contends that it's going to be an easy score, with each man's share being `Not bad for a day's work.' But you can bet that anytime you have a `sure thing' it's going to turn out to be anything but, and this caper is, of course, no exception.

As is befitting the subject matter, the film is dark-- much of it takes place at night, or in rather seedy, industrial locales-- with a touch of artistic cinematography that gives a sense of urgency to the story. It quickly shifts from the posh atmosphere of Palm Springs to downtown Los Angeles and Chinatown, an environment through which you get a sense of who these guys are and what they are about. As Rachel says to Roy at one point, `You guys are all alike--'

As Roy, Keitel carries the film with the kind of credible performance we've come to expect from him. While this character is certainly not a stretch for him-- you've seen `Roy' many times before, played by Keitel and others-- he does put a unique stamp on him; he's familiar, but Keitel manages to avoid letting him slip into stereotype. And that is no easy task when you take into consideration that in reality a man like Roy would necessarily share certain traits with others of his ilk. What makes the difference is Keitel's consummate ability as an actor, and his concern with fleshing out the details of his character.

The role of Lee is something of a departure for Hutton, though similar to the part he played in `Playing God,' but with much more definition. He gives Lee a very `real' quality, the cool confidence of one who lives just beyond the fringe of what society deems acceptable. When he mentions that he's been in Folsom, it's believable. Dorff, meanwhile, is effective as Skip, a guy perpetually pumped and strung out, crazy-- but like a fox-- with an aura of menace about him that is nearly tangible. In attitude and style, Skip is reminiscent of Laurence Fishburne's two-fisted, gun toting Jump in `King of New York.' And Janssen gives a notable performance also, successfully creating the one character in the film with whom the audience can sympathize. You feel her desperation and the concern she has for her children's well being, which effectively adds valuable context to the story.

The supporting cast includes Michael Jai White (Odell), Lucy Liu (Cathi), Reno Wilson (Keshaun), Dana Barron (Gena), Tamara Clatterbuck (Sunny), Brian Brophy (Backus) and Francois Chau (Uncle Luke). A violent and stylish examination of the criminal element in our midst, `City of Industry' is a hard-edged film that presents the matter-of-fact way in which those who subscribe to a life of crime seemingly function within their own sect of society. It's a part of life many would just as soon deny in reality, but as Steve McQueen said many years ago in `Bullitt,' `That's where half of it is.' And a film like this is not about to let you forget it. I rate this one 8/10.