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Actors: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello, Martin Landau, David Paymer
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about City Hall |
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Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun (Cusack) is utterly devoted to his boss, John Pappas (Pacino), the popular Mayor of New York who seems to be doing a great job. But a big can of worms opens up after a little boy is accidentally shot during a shootout between a narcotics detective and a mob family member. Urged on by the attorney for the detective's widow and family (a fairly small and meaningless role for Fonda), Calhoun starts digging for information, and discovers the mobster was out on the streets after having clearly violated his probation. The trail leads through a judge caught taking bribes and causes Calhoun to question nearly everything he has believed. Despite a good cast (especially Pacino, and Aiello as a borough political chief), and tinkering by some top veteran screenwriters such as Paul Schrader, Bo Goldman, and Nicholas Pileggi, this 1996 political thriller is but so-so and is easily forgotten.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of City Hall |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1980's-1999
Legal/Political Thriller?
Yes
Political Plotlets:
- govt officials abusing power
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Criminal enemy is...
- politicians
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- govt employee
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard wavy
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- criminal
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- dangerous
- wealthy
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- concerned
How many deaths in film?
- 3-4
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- guns
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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