Product Description

He'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)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30654 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1999-07-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.com
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 Lane

Customer Reviews

Scandal in the Big Apple
This review refers to the 1999 Castle Rock/WB DVD edition....
Harold Becker directs a terrific cast in this smart political thriller,"City Hall". It takes place in New York City and revolves around a shootout on the streets of Brooklyn that took the lives of a drug dealer, a cop and a six year old boy caught in the crossfire.
Deputy Mayor Calhoun(John Cusak), an idealistic but in the know transplant from the South,begins his own investagation that at every turn leads him up the ladder of the poltical bosses in New York.It also leads to more murders as the cover up begins.
The drug dealer (the nephew of a powerful crime boss),had been let off on probation a couple of years earlier, and this is the focus of the investagation. How did this happen? Who is responsible for allowing this criminal to walk the streets? Everyone is suspect from the Probation Officer to the sentencing Judge. Or could it go all the way to the top? To the man that Calhoun idealizes,his mentor, his boss, the very savvy, diplomatic Mayor John Pappas(Al Pacino).
Al Pacino gives an electrifying performance as only he could do as the leader of the great city of New York. Cusak is excellent in his role as "The Mayor's Boy". They are joined by one great supporting cast. Danny Aiello, Tony Franciosa, Martin Landau, Bridget Fonda and David Paymer, who all turn in terrific performances.
You don't want to miss a minute of this mystery, there is always a new twist or turn occuring in the plot.We are also treated to lots of scenes of the city itself.
The DVD is in widescreen(also in standard if you prefer),has a nice crisp clear picture, and bright colors. The sound is 2.0 Dolby Surround. Could have been better but dosen't take away from the story. There were no special features included, just a good story with great acting that will have you totally involved. There are subtitiles in English and French.
So get the popcorn ready and enjoy........Laurie

Al Pacino, John Cusack, and Danny Aiello are great!
This is one of the best crime-drama movies during the late 1990s. It was filled with a great cast, a huge storyline, and many of the players involved gave great performances. Pacino was great; he should have been nominated for something. John Cusack was good too, as long as the viewer doesn't mind his Louuu-siana accent. He may come off as annoying if you can't stand this dialect. The way that Pacino's character interacted with Cusack's character was believable, dramatic, and slightly comical at times. Danny Aiello was superb as always. David Paymer was great in a supporting role. Bridget Fonda was good but not memorable.
There were times when this picture mentioned so many characters, probably too many. It may take a second viewing to remember, "which Zapatti was which?" After so many cross-references, one has to stop and think just to recap.
The ending didn't have a lot of sting. It was built up for so long in a good way and then was a little bit of a letdown. This was one of the few letdowns in the film
I think that since the movie wasn't billed as a huge, blockbuster big screen hit, it made some forget that this movie even existed. Pacino was great but the film's lack of "splash" in the theaters may have accounted for no nominations. It was semi-successful in the home market, and viewers are still learing that this title is out there. Made in 1996, it still stands up seven years later and should still be popular for many years from now.

So, make yourself some lemon pudding (you'll see) and rent this movie! Overall, a great picture.
4 ½ out of 5!!!

Loved It, But It Was Missing Something . . . . .
I really wanted to love this movie. It was beautifully written. Pacino's speeches as the mayor of New York City were powerful and full of melodrama . . . the good kind of melodrama that made you realize that he was manipulating everyone until the very end. Cusack was great in this movie that gave him a chance to show off his superb acting skills. He completely takes on the persona of the naive politican from Louisana who realizes that the fine web of political intrigue he's in the middle of may be the trap that destoys him and New York. Bridget Fonda also stars as a lawyer wholly devoted to getting justice for her client, the wife of a murdered police officer. As I said, I wanted to love this movie, but I never really got a chance to identify with the characters. But, on the other hand, that may have been the idea all along. A great realistic drama, that I would recommend to see at least once.