City Hall 1996
City Hall
The accidental shooting of a boy in New York leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.
The accidental shooting of a boy in New York leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 13 Photoscast
Full Cast & Crew... Mayor John Pappas
... Kevin Calhoun
... Marybeth Cogan
... Frank Anselmo
... Judge Walter Stern
... Abe Goodman
User reviews
See All 3 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by talisencrw
Being a huge fan of Al Pacino (from the likes of 'Heat', the 'Godfather' movies, and 'Dog Day Afternoon' especially) and having had a huge crush on Bridget Fonda ('Single White Female', anyone?) back in the day (Peter Fonda's famous daughter was named 85th sexiest star in film history, and Mrs. Danny Elfman hasn't been involved in film, unfortunately, since 2002), I was hugely disappointed in this film, especially since I had loved director Harold Becker's previous 'Sea of Love', which also starred Pacino. The first half was decent and involving, but it kind of slid off the rails, interest-wise for me, the rest of the way and got too talky and uninspired. I don't really know if the problem was with the script or its direction. I know I'm not the greatest John Cusack fan in the world (I find he's much better in comedy, like his sister Joan), but he had pretty good co-stars, whose talents were basically wasted, in Martin Landau, Anthony Franciosa and Danny Aiello (these guys were BORN for these roles and films, so on paper, this should have really worked out well). I had always wondered why this film had bombed so miserably, and now I know why. In cases like this, more should have been done to alter the story arc, just some basic tweaks, to make it more suspenseful and/or (though I usually balk at such 'Hollywood' tendencies) some romantic tension (a beauty such as Fonda's was misused--they may as well have hired someone else). All in all, a wasted opportunity that's worth a look if you like dramas about corruption--just don't go in with big expectations, and don't bother with a rewatch.
Release Date:
Feb 16, 1996 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 51`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
City Hall
Being a huge fan of Al Pacino (from the likes of 'Heat', the 'Godfather' movies, and 'Dog Day Afternoon' especially) and having had a huge crush on Bridget Fonda ('Single White Female', anyone?) back in the day (Peter Fonda's famous daughter was named 85th sexiest star in film history, and Mrs. Danny Elfman hasn't been involved in film, unfortunately, since 2002), I was hugely disappointed in this film, especially since I had loved director Harold Becker's previous 'Sea of Love', which also starred Pacino. The first half was decent and involving, but it kind of slid off the rails, interest-wise for me, the rest of the way and got too talky and uninspired. I don't really know if the problem was with the script or its direction. I know I'm not the greatest John Cusack fan in the world (I find he's much better in comedy, like his sister Joan), but he had pretty good co-stars, whose talents were basically wasted, in Martin Landau, Anthony Franciosa and Danny Aiello (these guys were BORN for these roles and films, so on paper, this should have really worked out well). I had always wondered why this film had bombed so miserably, and now I know why. In cases like this, more should have been done to alter the story arc, just some basic tweaks, to make it more suspenseful and/or (though I usually balk at such 'Hollywood' tendencies) some romantic tension (a beauty such as Fonda's was misused--they may as well have hired someone else). All in all, a wasted opportunity that's worth a look if you like dramas about corruption--just don't go in with big expectations, and don't bother with a rewatch.
Saw this one maybe 20 years ago and for whatever reason had a hankering to check it out again. Not great or ambitious as it sounds and pacing was a bit off, but in general found it engaging and had solid performances. I do wonder how much better it could have been under someone like Scorsese. **3.5/5**
There is a historical accuracy in how the film is presented. A small thing, the murder of a boy, builds and builds, and unravels all the layers of the onions until the ripples can be felt at the highest and most powerful levels. That is, essentially what happened with Watergate where a simple B&E brought down Nixon. It's also what happened, almost 2,000 years earlier with the Conspiracy of Cantoline. If you are tuned to it, like The Paper, it's not just about corruption, but about ripple effects and that is pretty cool. And, it's really well acted, well enough to make you lament that Cusack and Pacino aren't paired more often.
Cast & Crew of
City Hall
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
... Script Supervisor
Cast
... Mayor John Pappas
... Kevin Calhoun
... Marybeth Cogan
... Frank Anselmo
... Judge Walter Stern
... Abe Goodman
... Paul Zapatti
... Sydney Pappas
... Elaine Santos
... Larry Schwartz
... Deputy Commissioner Samuels
... Commissioner Coonan
... Detective Holly
AD
Angel David... Vinnie Zapatti
... Intel Detective - George
... Captain Florian
... Leslie Christos
... Detective Eddie Santos
... Lenny Lasker
... Nettie Anselmo
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
City Hall
Videos ( 2)
City Hall ≣ 1996 ≣ Trailer
YouTube
City Hall - Trailer
YouTube