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18 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Can't decide if it's thriller or drama, 20 March 1999 Author: Sean Gallagher (naes@cgocable.net) from Oakville, Ont. Canada
I had been long awaiting this movie ever since I saw the trailer, which made it look like a political drama, starring three of my favorite actors; Al Pacino, John Cusack, and Bridget Fonda. And even though it was directed by Harold Becker, who has done uneven work, he and Pacino did combine on SEA OF LOVE, which ranks among each of their best work. But interference on some level(for starters, several of the scenes in the original trailer don't appear in the movie) and changing of tone(subsequent trailers make it look like a thriller) make this, while watchable, nowhere near as it could have been.Which is too bad, because I really wanted to like this movie. There was great potential here to be a film about how government can still be worthwhile despite all the corruption, and to make a complex statement about that corruption, not the usual good guys vs. bad guys. And there is good acting here. Pacino and Cusack are both very good, and Danny Aiello gives one of the best performances of his career. But Fonda is wasted in her role, having nothing to do, and while there is merit in the central storyline, when it turns to a thriller, the movie loses its way, briefly recovers in the final scene between Cusack and Pacino, and then falls down completely in the end. I wish I could like this more, but no.
18 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Good., 3 September 2005 Author: yisraelh
I liked this neglected movie quite a bit, for a number of reasons.The characters. I found them believable, real, with some depth, in conflict. Not cardboard, cartoon-like. I found that I could really identify with and care about them.The story. I thought it was really interesting and realistic. The behind-the-scenes look at political machinations was exciting. I tend to like movies without special effects, that are not unrealistic fantasies. ("Ordinary People" generally comes to my mind.) I thought that this movie simply took real-life type people, put them in interesting situations, filled with conflict, and had us watch them deal with the problems they were in.I also think the movie had a message for us, in terms of right and wrong. In fact, it's downright Shakespearian. (Contrast this with another Al Pacino movie, "Heat", where the criminals are portrayed just as sympathetically as the law enforcement officers, and there is no inkling at all that there is anything morally wrong with armed robbery. I'm uncomfortable with that.)It's refreshing to see a movie in this day and age without gratuitous sex, violence, bombs and bullets, profanity.On a cinematic level, I found the directing, acting (the entire cast) and production to be first rate.I realize that many, many people (possibly the large majority) don't see things as I've described here. But if what I've written resonates, then you'll probably like this movie a lot.
13 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Intelligent political thriller not pretending anything, 23 January 2002 Author: pivko from Prague, Czech Republic
Well, there is a plenty of ways how to spoil a political thriller. Usually they are derivative or too ambitious, often they feature a conspiracy that is totally paranoic and unbelievable. But City Hall does not do neither of the above mentioned. The plot is cleverly crafted, story is believable. As far as characters go I would say this movie is a solid average. No character seems out of place and Al Pacino is brilliant as always. His portrayal of a charismatic NYC mayor is superb and proves again that Al Pacino belongs to the absolute top of American actors nowadays.
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Entertaining, 17 August 2003 Author: ctomvelu from usa
This is a movie for John Cusack fans. He is in almost every scene as a mayoral aide who gets in way over his head trying to solve a murder mystery involving a drug dealer, a lonewolf cop and a six-year-old boy. Cusack has definitely grown into serious adult roles, as this film makes abundantly clear. Pacino is also topnotch as a crusading mayor who harbors a terrible secret. He is in control and charismatic as hell. Watch for the funeral scene where he sways what could have been a very hostile crowd. Danny Aiello also is terrific as a Brooklyn borough chief in bed with the mafia. Too bad the shaky script wasn't up to the acting. Is this a drama or an action piece? It wavers back and forth. But even if you figure out the resolution early on, which my kid did less than halfway through, this may keep you reasonably spellbound. A little too talky, although some pretty good dialogue.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Politics in The Big Apple, 4 June 2006 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
Being a transplanted New Yorker, I might be more critical than most in watching City Hall. But I have to say that before even getting to the story itself I was captivated by the location shooting and the political atmosphere of New York City that Director Harold Becker created.For example there's a reference to Woerner's Restaurant in Brooklyn where political boss Frank Anselmo likes to eat. There is or was a Woerner's Restaurant on Remsen Street in downtown Brooklyn when I lived in New York back in 1996. It was in fact particularly favored by political people in the Borough though they did have a couple of other hangouts.No surprise because the script was co-authored by Nicholas Pileggi who still writes both political and organized crime stories. He knows the atmosphere quite well and he sure knows how those two worlds cross as they do in this film.A detective played by Nestor Serrano goes for an unofficial meeting with a relative of mob boss Anthony Franciosa and things erupt and three people wind up dead, including an innocent 6 year old boy whose father was walking him to school. The story mushrooms and at the end it's reached inside City Hall itself.Al Pacino plays Mayor John Pappas and John Cusack is his Deputy Mayor a transplanted Louisianan, a state which has a tradition of genteel corruption itself. He's the outsider here and in trying to do damage control, Cusack finds more than he bargained for,Danny Aiello plays Brooklyn political boss Frank Anselmo and for those of you not from New York, his character is based on the late Borough President of Queens Donald Manes who was also brought down by scandal. He's very much the kind of Brooklyn politician I knew back in the day whose friendship with organized crime and favors done for them, do Aiello in. City Hall was the farewell performance on film for Anthony Franciosa, one of the most underrated and under-appreciated talents ever on the screen. No one watches anyone else whenever he's on.Al Pacino's best moment is when at the funeral of the young child killed, he takes over the proceedings and turns it into a political triumph for himself. His is a complex part, he's a decent enough man, but one caught up in the corruption it takes to rise in a place like New York. For those who want to know about political life in the Big Apple, City Hall is highly recommended.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Another Smooth Political Talker, 19 March 2007 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
One thing that shocked me about this film, considering the cast, was the small amount of profanity. I mean, with Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda and Danny Aiello, I didn't expect this low-key a film. Aiello and Cusack not uttering one swear word? Wow, that's almost unheard of in films.The story is very low-key, maybe too much so for a lot of people which includes me at times, but I enjoyed this. In fact, just watching and listening to Pacino and Cusack in this movie was plenty of entertainment. They played a mayor and a deputy mayor, respectively.However, to be honest, I didn't always comprehend what was going on in the story. Apparently the mayor knew what was going on all the time and it was just business (or politics) as usual, for him.Pacino's speech at the funeral of the young black kid was outstanding. Talk about a smooth political orator! Pacino played New York City Mayor "John Pappas." He reminded me a lot of another New Yorker, former governor Mario Cuomo who, although I disagreed with many of his statements, was a smooth talker like Pacino's character in here. I wonder if they modeled "Pappas" after Cuomo?
9 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Excellent acting and a wonderfully quiet script, 10 July 2000 Author: Richard Brunton (imdb-update@brunton.org.uk) from Edinburgh, Scotland
Excellent political thriller, played much quieter and slower than other, higher ranking films in this genre. When people talk about Pacino and Cusack how do they manage to skip over these amazing career topping performances? A story of friendships, father-son relationships, corruption and deceit. The two actors gel amazingly well together, and the supports from Aiello and Fonda are equally as impressive, although Aiello is brilliant, especially when the papers run to press. Instead of focussing on an over complex corruption scandal, it creates wonderful characters who show the human side of failure an political bribery, The final scenes with each of the main characters are wonderfully written and acted.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Excellent movie that gets better the more you watch it (spoilers), 20 June 2004 Author: TerryKnerryBoy from Amsterdam
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I've seen this movie about 6 times now. And each time I view it, I'm more impressed by the story and the acting. Its like watching a train wreck being set in motion. Its subtle in its approach, but very effective in reaching its goal. Spoilers-> At the center of the story is a very nice dichotomy. On the one hand we have Deputy major, Eddy Calhoun (Cusack) unknowingly tearing at the old boys network that forms the hart of major of New York's Administration and on the other hand we have the mob boss Zappati who's deliberately trying to maintain the status quo through all means necessary. This situation nicely culminates in the end when Zappati orders Alselmo to make it easy on himself by killing himself and Calhoun ordering Pappas to do the same, politically speaking.The movie also contains some really great one-liners such as (a personal weakness of mine): - You don't sum up a man's life in one moment - The only thing new in this world is the history you don't knowAll in all, a great movie that deserves a much higher rating.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: " You're forgetting about Menschheit' the space between the hands ", 5 January 2009 Author: thinker1691 from USA
Across the country and especially in the political landscape, people with any kind of political ambition, should take time out to see this film. The movie is called " City Hall " and with little imagination, its synopsis can take place anywhere in America. It just so happens to open in New York. Here we have the story of a popular politician named Mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino) with enough savvy to run a major metropolitan city with very little effort. His right-hand man is none other than Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) an equally bright individual who's ambitions are tied to his mentor and both seemed destined for higher office. Everything points in that direction, until a police shooting ignites an investigation spearheaded by Marybeth Cogan (Bridget Fonda) who believes the guilt points towards city hall and the mayor. A six year old boy and a police officer's death are blamed on a career criminal who's questionable freedom leads to an apparent cover-up by political pay-offs and city corruption involving union leaders like Danny Aiello played by Frank Anselmo, corrupt judicial officials like Judge Walter Stern. (Martin Landau) and mafia bosses like Paul Zapatti (Anthony Franciosa) who are deeply involved. Also implicated, are party officials like Larry Schwartz (Richard Schiff) who works for the probation office of New York. But it is the bond between the mayor and his deputy which is taken to task by the accidental shooting. A great vehicle for Cusack and a sure bet nominee to become a classic. ****
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Pretty good Pacino in a Pretty poor vessel, 27 November 2000 Author: AlaskaRanger
Al Pacino is at his best when he overacts - I enjoyed him immensely in Devil's Advocate. In City Hall, his performance is good, but not thrilling. In one obsequy, the screenplay does give him a chance to pound the floorboards, and it's enjoyable to watch him turn a potentially hostile audience into roaring enthusiasts.But what of the rest of the film? John Cusack gets a miserable character, full of so many inconsistencies one wonders if his role was designed by committee. Bridget Fonda - and her character - don't even belong in the film. The only suspense SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER for me was wondering whether Danny Aiello's character - probably the best role in the film - would commit suicide on or off camera. Too bad director chose wrong again on that one.But the whole story is so weak and predictable that I kept myself amused only by looking for production inconsistencies. LA Confidential is a far better example of the genre.
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