Ultimately it sinks under its own weight
Added 10/26/2009
The Bottom Line:
It's hard to criticize a film which is intelligent and well-directed for merely being too long, but Prince of the City introduces so many characters and so many plot developments in its 175 minute running time that the audience can't help but feel weary by the end; much more successful in its tighter-paced first half, Prince of the City may be worth watching if you like director Lumet, New York City, or police dramas, but be warned that you might want a nap at the end (or in the middle).
2.5/4
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
2 Thumbs Up!
Added 10/10/2008
Received the DVD in great condition. Two Thumbs Way Up!
~Rich C.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"The Law Doesn't Know The Streets"
Added 8/31/2008
A righteous cop who's a bit on the take trades the partners who love him for the system that uses him in the second of Lumet's NY Cops Quartet. Lumet and Jay Presson Allen have written such a complex yet great script that at times you wish it got the more cinematic dimensions that Scorsese could bring to it as opposed to Lumet's dramatic but austere approach. In the docs here he discusses his ambivalence towards the main character and you get that watching the film. He's never given the point of view allowed to Pacino's Serpico or Paul Newman's Frank Galvin. As a result Treat Williams is all over the place. He's great in some scenes and in other he's just too much. (There's even an odd bit where he seems to be doing a Steve Martin imitation.) Still, this powerful and moving picture (and Williams' performance) deserve a better reputation that it's had over the years. It packs a bigger punch than Serpico -- also a great picture.
And this really deserves to be revisited alongside American Gangster which covers much of the same territory. (I assume the character of "The King" here is based on Frank Lucas.)
Giant company of actors with almost no miscues -- though Bob Balaban's weird and officious Disraeli-haired Fed is a bit distracting.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Long time coming...!
Added 4/30/2008
This movie is one to see! If you like drama, suspense and true-life stories, then this is a movie to see. I had it a long time on VHS and wanted to replace it on DVD. I'm so glad it finally made it to digital.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
another sidney lumet classic
Added 4/7/2008
treat williams stars as a conflicted cop who decides to ease his conscious by providing information on crooked cops, but "not my own partners, never". however, as his disclosures increase, he is pressured by the justice department to turn on his partners. sidney lumet ("dog day afternoon") does a masterful job of portraying the guilt, shame and conflcit expereinced by cops who must do illegal activites in order to get convictions. treat williams is perfect in the role of "danny", the cop who wants to do the right thing but has no idea of the forces he is dealing with. once you cross over, you can't go back. this is one of my top 10 "desert island' picks of amercian made films. you will be most impressed as I was in this film
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Ultimately it sinks under its own weight
Added 10/26/2009
The Bottom Line:
It's hard to criticize a film which is intelligent and well-directed for merely being too long, but Prince of the City introduces so many characters and so many plot developments in its 175 minute running time that the audience can't help but feel weary by the end; much more successful in its tighter-paced first half, Prince of the City may be worth watching if you like director Lumet, New York City, or police dramas, but be warned that you might want a nap at the end (or in the middle).
2.5/4
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
2 Thumbs Up!
Added 10/10/2008
Received the DVD in great condition. Two Thumbs Way Up!
~Rich C.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"The Law Doesn't Know The Streets"
Added 8/31/2008
A righteous cop who's a bit on the take trades the partners who love him for the system that uses him in the second of Lumet's NY Cops Quartet. Lumet and Jay Presson Allen have written such a complex yet great script that at times you wish it got the more cinematic dimensions that Scorsese could bring to it as opposed to Lumet's dramatic but austere approach. In the docs here he discusses his ambivalence towards the main character and you get that watching the film. He's never given the point of view allowed to Pacino's Serpico or Paul Newman's Frank Galvin. As a result Treat Williams is all over the place. He's great in some scenes and in other he's just too much. (There's even an odd bit where he seems to be doing a Steve Martin imitation.) Still, this powerful and moving picture (and Williams' performance) deserve a better reputation that it's had over the years. It packs a bigger punch than Serpico -- also a great picture.
And this really deserves to be revisited alongside American Gangster which covers much of the same territory. (I assume the character of "The King" here is based on Frank Lucas.)
Giant company of actors with almost no miscues -- though Bob Balaban's weird and officious Disraeli-haired Fed is a bit distracting.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
