City of Hope

"Welcome to the American city. You buy your way in and you fight your way out. Who says it's a free country?"

1991 2h 9m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 43

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

This gritty inner-city film follows various people living in a troubled New Jersey setting, most notably Nick Rinaldi, a disillusioned contractor who has been helped along his whole life by his wealthy father. Other characters in this ensemble drama about urban conflict and corruption include Asteroid, an unstable homeless person, and Wynn, an idealistic young politician.

“Welcome to the American city. You buy your way in and you fight your way out. Who says it's a free country?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Vincent Spano
Nick Rinaldi
Tony Lo Bianco
Joe Rinaldi
Joe Morton
Winn
Jace Alexander
Bobby
Todd Graff
Zip
Frankie Faison
Levonne
Gloria Foster
Jeanette
Angela Bassett
Reesha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Sayles
Writers: John Sayles
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

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Sayles, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Vincent Spano and Tony Lo Bianco and Joe Morton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Welcome to the American city. You buy your way in and you fight your way out. Who says it's a free country?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0101588 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Sayles directs. Robert Richardson behind the camera. Mason Daring scores. John Sayles cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

135 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by John Sayles, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mason Daring. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor John Sayles shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Vincent Spano and Tony Lo Bianco and Joe Morton carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Welcome to the American city. You buy your way in and you fight your way out. Who says it's a free country?".
7IMDB entry: tt0101588 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "vietnam war", "drug abuse", "new jersey", "politics".