IMDb RATING
7.4/10
9.9K
YOUR RATING
A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trus... Read allA New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 15 nominations total
Ronald Maccone
- Nick Napoli
- (as Ron Maccone)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAkira Kurosawa complimented director Sidney Lumet on the beauty of the camerawork and the whole movie. By this he meant that there is an elemental connection between the story and the techniques used. For example, background lighting is gradually phased out to make the characters stand out more towards the end of the film.
- GoofsDuring the Blomberg appeal, the judge calls Detective Ciello "Lieutenant Ciello".
- Quotes
Daniel Ciello: I know the law. The law doesn't know the streets.
- Alternate versionsThe film originally premiered on TV in a version broadcast over 4 hours (running no longer than 196 minutes), including previously unseen material which had been cut from the 167-minute theatrical release. Among the restored scenes is one that makes more sense of the DiBenadetto Case (the character Ciello's first rat-job).
- ConnectionsFeatured in Sneak Previews: The Best of 1981 (1981)
- SoundtracksLove Will Keep Us Together
(uncredited)
Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Performed by Captain & Tennille
Featured review
Yes, Treat Williams was not as good an actor as Al Pacino in Serpico (the film that made Pacino's career). But Sidney Lumet was a better director than the vast majority of cop film directors, and the dialogue was better written for this movie than 99% of the cop films I have ever seen. The supporting actors are the strength of this movie. There must have been at least a dozen stellar performances from most of the cast involved in a secondary role. Lindsay Crouse was very good on the distaff side, but this is primarily a man's film.
To be more precise, it is not just a cop's film, but is a cautionary tale for most of us who had graduated college and tried to be honest, forthright, truthful, have integrity, and perform in a professional manner, regardless of our chosen field.
The world has a way of eroding all of those things, bit by bit over a long period of time. Chasing money becomes more important than some of those lofty principles, as they do not put food on the table. Sometimes they do, or if you are Jesus, you can create your own loaves and fishes, but the rest of us are not Jesus.
There is great empathy for Danny Ciello from most viewers; I knew I felt sorry for him. However, a prosecuting attorney makes a point about if any arm of the law is corrupt, then the whole system suffers. Corruption, however, does not start with the police, or teachers, or hospital workers or accountants or any other hard-working person. Corruption starts at the top of the food chain and works it way down. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lumet does a great job with the direction and this is a film that is not to be missed if you want a real piece of New York City reality in the late 1970s.
To be more precise, it is not just a cop's film, but is a cautionary tale for most of us who had graduated college and tried to be honest, forthright, truthful, have integrity, and perform in a professional manner, regardless of our chosen field.
The world has a way of eroding all of those things, bit by bit over a long period of time. Chasing money becomes more important than some of those lofty principles, as they do not put food on the table. Sometimes they do, or if you are Jesus, you can create your own loaves and fishes, but the rest of us are not Jesus.
There is great empathy for Danny Ciello from most viewers; I knew I felt sorry for him. However, a prosecuting attorney makes a point about if any arm of the law is corrupt, then the whole system suffers. Corruption, however, does not start with the police, or teachers, or hospital workers or accountants or any other hard-working person. Corruption starts at the top of the food chain and works it way down. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lumet does a great job with the direction and this is a film that is not to be missed if you want a real piece of New York City reality in the late 1970s.
- arthur_tafero
- Apr 2, 2023
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Prince of the City - Die Herren der Stadt
- Filming locations
- Governors Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, USA(scenes at ferry landing)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $8,600,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,124,257
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $64,713
- Aug 23, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $8,124,257
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