There was something about the 70s and 80s that made it an ideal time to craft intricate crime films. There are the occasional attempts these days, but for the most part modern efforts cannot quite capture the grit and grime of this time. There are surely many reasons for this; New York City was always the city of choice for these tales and it had not yet been cleaned up as the tourist-friendly location it is today. Not to mention, cops were under far less scrutiny than they were today. Yet many of the most interesting films still challenged the abuses of authority to varying degrees of severity. Sidney Lumet was a titan in this genre with films such as Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon serving as two crown jewels in an already illustrious career – when you start out with 12 Angry Men you know you are doing something right behind the camera. A lesser known but similarly powerful film from the director is Prince of the City from 1981. Based on Robert Daley’s 1978 book of the same name, the epic film failed to connect with audiences at the time of its release, but fans of the genre remain resolute that it is a forgotten classic.
The most simultaneously disheartening and surprising aspect of the story is that it was inspired by real-life events. In the film we follow a character by the name of Danny Ciello (Treat Williams, Everwood), a narcotics detective working in the Special Investigations Unit of the New York City Police Department. The title refers to how Danny and his partners are treated around their city; they get results so they are largely left alone when it comes to minor infractions that cross ethical boundaries. Sure, they skim some money here and there, and they are not above giving drugs to informants to ensure their cooperation, but otherwise they are stand up guys. At least, that is how Danny sees himself and his friends until one night he finds himself beating up a drug dealer to provide an informant with a fix. Corruption was a symptom of the time, but Danny wants better for himself so he agrees to help internal affairs after he is approached to assist in investigating police corruption. His only stipulation: he will never do anything to incriminate his partners. Danny starts out with such idealism, but his journey will leave him very demoralized.
The most tricky aspect that this movie has to balance is the characterization of both the cops and the prosecutors. Danny is our protagonist in this journey, but that does not necessarily mean he is a character for whom you want to root. Even the director himself was not completely sure of his feelings about the character. As he starts out on this seemingly noble path, Danny is cocky as he slyly captures criminals in a compromising situation. When it comes to his own misdeeds, he is understandably much more opaque. He cops to three minor offenses, but everyone knows there is more than that, even if the prosecutors want to overlook this in favor of having a key cooperating figure. As Danny gets more exposed and he finds himself with a target on his back, you find yourself wondering if you should care or not what happens to him. Has the movie demonstrated effectively how easy it is for tiny infractions to pile up for an otherwise good person until they find themselves crushed by the weight of their actions?
In the end, you do care about Danny more than you do not. And this may or may not be a problem. The prosecutors are colored mostly to be duplicitous worms who were happy to turn their back on an ally, but this was due to the source material being written by a cop. By the same coin, Danny’s partners – Gus (Jerry Orbach), Dom (Kenny Marino), Joe (Richard Foronjy), and Bill (Don Billett) – are given a cleaner edit than they probably deserve. These men did many bad things, but you are made to care about them because Danny cares about them. The movie conjures up many conflicting feelings about the depictions of police officers, which at the very least will inspire some potentially thoughtful debates. As a full narrative, the movie delivers a nuanced look at a downward spiral. At just under three hours long, the film is entirely too long, but when it works it is really captivating. Williams sometimes shows some limitations in the most dramatic moments, but otherwise the ensemble assembled here brings this story to life very effectively. Prince of the City can be a rough watch with its depictions of injustice and immorality, but as brought to life by Lumet it does not let you out of its grasp easily.
Video Quality
Prince Of The City debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a new restoration that is impeccable. The transfer maintains a nice amount of natural film grain, which lends itself to detailed backgrounds and clothing. The image across these discs is free from dirt or print damage, as well as pesky digital anomalies such as compression artifacting or banding. Skin tones look natural throughout each transfer. Much of the content takes place at night which is accompanied by deep black levels free of any crush. This is not the most beautiful film with its dour color palette and ugly locales, but the transfer represents it as was intended. Warner Archive did not cut any corners with this transfer as it ranks as a top notch effort. I have not seen the ancient DVD, but I can only imagine that this new transfer completely blows that disc out of the water.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that sounds simply wonderful. The quick and deliberate delivery of the dialogue always comes through crystal clear. None of the sound effects or the moody score from Paul Chihara ever overpowers the dialogue on this release. There are not many sequences that are kinetic here, but there are environmental details that are appropriately lively in the speakers. There does not appear to be any damage or age related wear to the track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation that suits the material really well.
Special Features
- Featurette – The Real Story: A 29-minute archival featurette is provided here in which director Sidney Lumet, screenwriter Jay Presson Allen, author Robet Daley, production designer Tony Walton, actors Treat Williams, Bob Balaban, and Lance Henriksen, and many more provide insights into the real story behind the film. It is fascinating to hear such candid discussions at points. Worth a watch if you enjoyed the film.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here which does a nice job of establishing the mood.
Final Thoughts
Prince Of The City is a sprawling portrait of police corruption that does not pull its punches. This is thanks in large part to the direction of the great Sidney Lumet, who knew how to give shape to this unwieldy story in a captivating manner. Treat Williams might not be our first choice for this lead role, but he handles most of his scenes effectively. One of the most impressive aspects of the film is the tremendous talent that makes up the ensemble, as every scene has a person who would go on to larger roles. Warner Archive has released a long-awaited Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and at least one substantial special feature. The film might be too long, but it is one that leaves an impact once it’s done. Recommended
Prince Of The City can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
