City Hall
by Harold Becker
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Al Pacino, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello, John Cusack, Martin LandauDirector: Harold Becker
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-07-27
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Movie Reviews of City Hall
Movie Review: Al Pacino overacts?!
Summary: 3 Stars
My pal Al has been my favorite actor ever since I saw his amazing performance in Heat and it bothers me when people say that all he does is yell in his movies rather than give a credible performance. It bothers me because they usually pick the wrong movies to single out . In the case of City Hall he gives a very nuanced and touching performance throughout that is ruined by a speech that is pure Pacino. The script which was written by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) and Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas) and two other gentlemen concerns corruption in the Big Apple. Pacino is mayor John Pappas, John Cusack his deputy mayor, Danny Aiello a union boss who despite being a man of the people is tied in with a mobster, and Bridget Fonda as a crusading investigator who is trying to prove every one's corruption and clear a few names while she is at it. The story is this a rogue cop is meeting with a drug dealer without the benefit of backup or a bulletproof vest. His informant is the drug dealer's cousin and when all three of them surprise each other shots are fired and the cop and drug dealer die while a six year old boy is also killed in the crossfire. This is a tragedy that the mayor has to address and that the deputy mayor has to spend the entire movie trying to piece together. Whose bullet the cop's or the drug dealer's killed the kid? Why was the cop there against orders and without any backup or protection? Why is the drug dealer walking the streets when his crimes would ordinarily send him to prison for years? The answers that slowly come are nothing shocking or revelatory. Corruption exists in government and even well respected mayors or judges might have a hand in it. The scene that I speak of takes place at the young boy's funeral. The mayor (Pacino) has been advised not to go there and if he must go to say only a few words and then leave. This being a Pacino movie why say a few meaningless words when Al can yell which is exactly what he does. The boy was black and the church is an all black one which only adds to the scene since this passionate kind of speech is not out of place. It could be something from Scarface or any other Pacino film as it starts out somber and moves to optimistic before finally erupting into full blown Pacino rage. Al can do this better than anyone but it seriously detracts from his overall performance because it is too easy to say he's yelling rather than acting which he does beautifully in the film's final scene between him and Cusack. By this time Cusack knows the truth and wants answers from the mayor and Pacino plays the scene like he is Cusack's father and he is devastated to learn that his son no longer needs him or trusts him. The film is not bad despite a confusing and not too original story but it is worth it to see the performances of Pacino, Cusack, and Danny Aiello.
Summary of City Hall
This complex 1996 drama directed by Harold Becker (Sea of Love) attempts to explore big-city corruption and the flexibility of what's right and wrong in the political arena. John Cusack (Say Anything) plays the senior aide to mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino), a popular and seasoned politician whose administration is threatened when what seems to be an accidental shooting of a child reveals a nest of corruption and lifelong personal debts that tests Cusack's loyalty to the man he thought he knew. Pacino turns in a finely textured performance as a man who has his own lofty ideals, but whose pragmatism sets in motion a series of events with tragic results. Cusack admirably captures the essence of someone polished and savvy at his job who must cope with fundamental disillusionment. This political thriller suffers at times from a lack of focus, but still offers an insightful and poignant treatise on the quagmire of politics in the modern age and the human toll it sometimes exacts. --Robert LaneHe's a consummate politician who walks a mile in your shoes, feels your pain. But there may be more to populist New York City populist mayor Al Pacino than meets the eye. Year: 1996 Director: Harold Becker Starring: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello Special Features: Interactive menus, Scene access Video Format: A: Standard; B: Widescreen Sound: English: Dolby Surround 2.0; French; Subtitles: English, French Region Coding: 1 (U.S. and Canada)
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