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Title:Movie Reviews and Discussion
Notice:Please do DIR/TITLE before starting a new topic on a movie!
Moderator:VAXCPU::michaudo.dec.com::tamara::eppes
Created:Thu Jan 28 1993
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1249
Total number of notes:16012

1039.0. "City Hall" by EVMS::HALLYB (Fish have no concept of fire) Mon Feb 26 1996 16:03

    Present-day New York City. Robert DiNiro plays the mayor, a man with
    the political savvy of Tip O'Neil and speaking skills of Mario Cuomo.
    
    His right-hand man is the Deupty Mayor played by John Cusack. This is
    an "appointed" position, not elected, and so Cusack has no experience
    running for office.
    
    Danny Aiello plays a city councilman with ties to the Mob. Bridget
    Fonda plays an attorney looking for justice for a dead cop's family.
    
    The body count piles up throughout the movie as questionable police
    actions result in a chain of cover-up killings. We start with a
    cop-killer who had earlier been given parole instead of a mandatory
    10-20 year sentence for a drug-related crime. Cusack and Fonda team up 
    to investigate why an obvious prison sentence was not imposed in the
    earlier narcotics conviction. It seems that every time they come close
    to solving the case, another victim dies.
    
    DiNiro, when he's on camera, plays the consummate politician who knows
    how to work the crowd and work the system. He has some very good scenes.
    Cusack is an astonishingly capable assistant, all the while he's 
    investigating the killings.
    
    Martin Landau and Richard Paymer play their smaller roles perfectly.
    
    The plot is complex and has a few holes, but overall the movie is
    quite entertaining. I don't fully understand why the movie is rated R.
    There's nothing in the way of sex (thanks to the scriptwriters for not
    throwing in any gratuitous Cusack/Fonda scenes, not even any affection) 
    and although there ARE a lot of bodies, there is almost no violence 
    on screen. (OK, OK, some shootings -- but they're over quickly).
    
    ***/*****,
    
      John
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1039.1SPSEG::COVINGTONI drive for music.Mon Feb 26 1996 16:233
    
    I think the mayor is Al Pacino, not DeNiro...
    
1039.2Yes, it really was PacinoEVMS::HALLYBFish have no concept of fireMon Feb 26 1996 18:483
    Oops. Should never have had that chat about Pacino and DeNiro...
    
      John
1039.3STRWRS::KOCH_PIt never hurts to ask...Tue Feb 27 1996 22:342
    
    I thought it was David Paymer?
1039.4Sorry, PamEVMS::HALLYBFish have no concept of fireWed Feb 28 1996 15:035
>    I thought it was David Paymer?
    
     Yeah, that's the ticket.
    
       John