City Hall

"It started with a shootout on a rainswept street and ended in a scandal that shattered New York."

1996 1h 51m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 337

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The accidental shooting of a boy in New York City leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.

“It started with a shootout on a rainswept street and ended in a scandal that shattered New York.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Al Pacino
Mayor John Pappas
John Cusack
Kevin Calhoun
Bridget Fonda
Marybeth Cogan
Danny Aiello
Frank Anselmo
Martin Landau
Judge Walter Stern
David Paymer
Abe Goodman
Anthony Franciosa
Paul Zapatti
Lindsay Duncan
Sydney Pappas

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Harold Becker
Writers: Bo Goldman, Ken Lipper, Paul Schrader
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 84% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Harold Becker, shot by John Corso. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Al Pacino and John Cusack and Bridget Fonda carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It started with a shootout on a rainswept street and ended in a scandal that shattered New York.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0115907 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Harold Becker directs. John Corso behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. David Bretherton cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 84% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Harold Becker, shot by John Corso. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor David Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Al Pacino and John Cusack and Bridget Fonda carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It started with a shootout on a rainswept street and ended in a scandal that shattered New York.".
8IMDB entry: tt0115907 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 20 themes, including "drug dealer", "new york city", "corruption", "undercover agent".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Corso
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: David Bretherton
Production design: Jane Musky
Makeup / hair: Cydney Cornell
Sound: Andy Nelson
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $33,440,204
Return: 84% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: City Hall (1996)

Also by

Harold Becker

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-04-13
★ 6/10
Being a huge fan of Al Pacino (from the likes of 'Heat', the 'Godfather' movies, and 'Dog Day Afternoon' especially) and having had a huge crush on Bridget Fonda ('Single White Female', anyone?) back in the day (Peter Fonda's famous daughter was named 85th sexiest star in film history, and Mrs. Danny Elfman hasn't been involved in film, unfortunately, since 2002), I was hugely disappointed in this film, especially since I had loved director Harold Becker's previous 'Sea of Love', which also starred Pacino. The first half was decent and involving, but it kind of slid off the rails, interest-wise for me, the rest of the way and got too talky and uninspired. I don't really know if the problem was with the script or its direction. I know I'm not the greatest John Cusack fan in the world (I find he's much better in comedy, like his sister Joan), but he had pretty good co-stars, whose talents were basically wasted, in Martin Landau, Anthony Franciosa and Danny Aiello (these guys were BORN for these roles and films, so on paper, this should have really worked out well). I had always wondered why this film had bombed so miserably, and now I know why. In cases like this, more should have been done to alter the story arc, just some basic tweaks, to make it more suspenseful and/or (though I usually balk at such 'Hollywood' tendencies) some romantic tension (a beauty such as Fonda's was misused--they may as well have hired someone else). All in all, a wasted opportunity that's worth a look if you like dramas about corruption--just don't go in with big expectations, and don't bother with a rewatch.
JPV8522021-01-08
★ 7/10
Saw this one maybe 20 years ago and for whatever reason had a hankering to check it out again. Not great or ambitious as it sounds and pacing was a bit off, but in general found it engaging and had solid performances. I do wonder how much better it could have been under someone like Scorsese. 3.5/5
GenerationofSwine2023-01-13
★ 10/10
There is a historical accuracy in how the film is presented. A small thing, the murder of a boy, builds and builds, and unravels all the layers of the onions until the ripples can be felt at the highest and most powerful levels. That is, essentially what happened with Watergate where a simple B&E brought down Nixon. It's also what happened, almost 2,000 years earlier with the Conspiracy of Cantoline. If you are tuned to it, like The Paper, it's not just about corruption, but about ripple effects and that is pretty cool. And, it's really well acted, well enough to make you lament that Cusack and Pacino aren't paired more often.