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Amazon.co.uk Review
Producer-turned-director Irwin Winkler crafted this 1992 remake of Jules Dassin's 1950 film noir Night and the City, the tale of a small-time hustler in London who gets in over his head. Winkler's version is set in New York and stars Robert De Niro as a shyster lawyer who decides to get even with a boxing promoter (Alan King) who bests him in court. A couple of innocents are talked into helping the cause, notably the brother (Jack Warden) of De Niro's enemy and a barmaid (Jessica Lange) who agrees to finance the operation. Everything goes south, plunging the hero into prospects of real disaster. The film is far from an exemplary, contemporary noir, but its outstanding cast, with no shortage of charisma and dynamics, keeps things terribly interesting. So does the funny but terse script by Richard Price (Clockers), who also has a cameo as a doctor. Winkler's sensibilities as a tasteful and intelligent producer still get in the way of his daring as a director, but he does leave us with much to be satisfied about.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a remake of Night and the City (1950) directed by Jules Dissan, who was blacklisted by Hollywood because of actions by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and for that reason is dedicated to Dissan who had to continue his career in Europe. The original film starred Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Francis L. Sullivan and Herbert Lom. I haven't seen that film, but I understand that it is very good.
This film from 1992 is not bad; however for some reason its reputation isn't much. The voters at IMDb give it a rather tepid 5.7 stars out of 10 while giving the original 8 out of 10. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with:
(1) Robert De Niro playing a non-heroic character. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with his acting. He is outstanding as Harry Fabian, flimflam low life lawyer and cheap BS artist who tries desperately to make a big splash as a fight promoter. I think most De Niro fans would prefer to see him in a more two-fisted role. At any rate, those who didn't like the movie almost certainly didn't care for De Niro's performance since his character dominates the action.
(2) The ending, which some might see as unfinished and others as disagreeable since, regardless of what transpires, Fabian is still a loser, perhaps bigger than ever.
(3) Some rather cheesy plot play. Near the end Fabian and Helen (Jessica Lange looking as fetching as ever) hide in a dead end alley among dumpsters and trash cans. Well, they should have continued running since the guys after them were only walking. Also when Fabian and Helen run out the side door of the restaurant they go the wrong way so that the heavies can see them running across the street. Had they turned left instead of right (as anybody in their situation would have done) they would not even have been seen. Furthermore, Fabian in a flamboyant gesture throws $12,000 into the air that flutters to the ground in the dead end alley. Nobody bothers to pick it up. That could happen.
What cannot be faulted is the authentic New York atmosphere created by director Irvin Winkler, who is better know as a producer, most notably of the Sylvester Stallone "Rocky" films, and the fine work by the rest of the cast, especially Alan King (Ira "Boom Boom" Grossman), Eli Wallach (Peck), Cliff Gorman (Phil Nasseros), and Jack Warden (Al Grossman). The story itself, from a novel by Gerald Kersh (script by Richard Price), is a variation on the "lovable, colorful loser makes good" theme, only in this case, like an inept noir anti-hero, he falls on his face--more than once, by the way.
No real De Niro fan should miss this. Personally I thought it was one of his best performances. The rapid fire dialogue, the fawning, pathetic, yet somehow uplifting personality were not something most actors could pull off, at least not nearly as well. De Niro became the character he portrayed.
Bottom line: definitely worth seeing. You will not be bored.
This film from 1992 is not bad; however for some reason its reputation isn't much. The voters at IMDb give it a rather tepid 5.7 stars out of 10 while giving the original 8 out of 10. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with:
(1) Robert De Niro playing a non-heroic character. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with his acting. He is outstanding as Harry Fabian, flimflam low life lawyer and cheap BS artist who tries desperately to make a big splash as a fight promoter. I think most De Niro fans would prefer to see him in a more two-fisted role. At any rate, those who didn't like the movie almost certainly didn't care for De Niro's performance since his character dominates the action.
(2) The ending, which some might see as unfinished and others as disagreeable since, regardless of what transpires, Fabian is still a loser, perhaps bigger than ever.
(3) Some rather cheesy plot play. Near the end Fabian and Helen (Jessica Lange looking as fetching as ever) hide in a dead end alley among dumpsters and trash cans. Well, they should have continued running since the guys after them were only walking. Also when Fabian and Helen run out the side door of the restaurant they go the wrong way so that the heavies can see them running across the street. Had they turned left instead of right (as anybody in their situation would have done) they would not even have been seen. Furthermore, Fabian in a flamboyant gesture throws $12,000 into the air that flutters to the ground in the dead end alley. Nobody bothers to pick it up. That could happen.
What cannot be faulted is the authentic New York atmosphere created by director Irvin Winkler, who is better know as a producer, most notably of the Sylvester Stallone "Rocky" films, and the fine work by the rest of the cast, especially Alan King (Ira "Boom Boom" Grossman), Eli Wallach (Peck), Cliff Gorman (Phil Nasseros), and Jack Warden (Al Grossman). The story itself, from a novel by Gerald Kersh (script by Richard Price), is a variation on the "lovable, colorful loser makes good" theme, only in this case, like an inept noir anti-hero, he falls on his face--more than once, by the way.
No real De Niro fan should miss this. Personally I thought it was one of his best performances. The rapid fire dialogue, the fawning, pathetic, yet somehow uplifting personality were not something most actors could pull off, at least not nearly as well. De Niro became the character he portrayed.
Bottom line: definitely worth seeing. You will not be bored.
Format:DVD
'Night And The City' sees Robert De Niro as Harry Fabian, an ambulance chasing lawyer, the kind you see on daytime TV, where there's a blame, there's a claim except Fabian tries to invent claims where there is no blame and in the course of this, he tries to sue a boxer and his promoter but the promoter turns out to be a gangster so, instead of backing down Fabian tries to become a rival promoter with the help of the gangsters brother and money borrowed from here, there and everywhere.
It's not a Robert De Niro film that springs to mind when you're rattling through his bio and has seemingly slipped under the radar, it was released the same year as 'A Bronx Tale' so maybe it got lost in that films shadow, who knows, nonetheless it is a quality film and although it's listed as a crime drama or film noir in some listings, I'd describe it as a comedy drama and a comedy drama in which De Niro shines as part time hustler, schmuck and smooth operator.
The only thing that let it down was the ending which, I can't say too much about as I don't want to spoil it if you're thinking about buying this DVD but I just felt it let the film down slightly, other than that I enjoyed it.
It's not a Robert De Niro film that springs to mind when you're rattling through his bio and has seemingly slipped under the radar, it was released the same year as 'A Bronx Tale' so maybe it got lost in that films shadow, who knows, nonetheless it is a quality film and although it's listed as a crime drama or film noir in some listings, I'd describe it as a comedy drama and a comedy drama in which De Niro shines as part time hustler, schmuck and smooth operator.
The only thing that let it down was the ending which, I can't say too much about as I don't want to spoil it if you're thinking about buying this DVD but I just felt it let the film down slightly, other than that I enjoyed it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Butler fans, don't rush to buy
3 Feb 2006
Format:DVD
Gerard Butler fans, don't rush out to buy this one. He is not in it. It's a glitch on the part of Amazon. If you did buy it and are still looking at the extras in an attempt to find him, just relax and forget it. Eat popcorn. This one is a pale copy of a 1940s film with Richard Widmark that you may like much, much better. Widmark could have menaced snarly rings around ol' 'You talkin' to me?'
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
FUNNY TALE ABOUT A LOVABLE LOSER.
22 Nov 2003
"Night And The City" is not a great drama, neither a great comedy, but it is an entertaining and funny movie. Robert De Niro is Harry Fabian, a loser who tries to put his hands in more things that he can really manage, and Jessica Lange is Helen Nasseros, Harry's love interest, despite she is a married woman.
As the story unfolds, there will be several tragedies in the path of our two antiheroes, all these tragedies are a combination of drama, farce and comedy. Definitely, "Night And The City" is not a classic, but it is a funny movie, recommendable for all the fans of the great Robert De Niro that are trying to see the entire Robert De Niro catalogue (like myself). At the end of the day this is an entertaining movie.
OLD-FASHIONED TRIBUTE TO GANGSTER FILMS ala JOHN GARFIELD, or BROADWAY DANNY ROSE MEETS RUPPERT PUPKIN
26 Aug 2006
As the title of this review suggests that NIGHT AND THE CITY is kinda like BROADWAY DANNY ROSE MEETS RUPPERT PUPKIN; or JOHNNY from MEAN STREETS if he was a shmuck lawyer instead of Pure Anarchy. I'm big fans of Cliff Gorman and Alan King. And JESSICA LANGE will always be a Hollywood goddess to me. It's just an old-fashioned gangster melodrama of the type Warner Brothers put out in the 1930s and 1940. DeNiro was in the John Garfield role, and Jessica Lange was in the Ann Sheridan role. Cliff Gorman was played by George Raft, or Bogart. And Alan King was played by E.G. Robinson. Jack Warden was played by Alan Jenkins. He loses his mind before the big fight and dies of a heart attack. NIGHT AND THE CITY is a tribute to the old fashioned classic gangster films.
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