Night and the City

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Jerod S DeNiro and Lange can't make this bland version of the 50s remake work. DeNiro is a crack pot lawyer running scams. But it's hard to connect to his character in any positive or negative way. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/20/24 Full Review Audience Member Coming off the back of Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear remake in 1991, Robert DeNiro and Jessica Lange collaborated again a year later on another remake; this time Jules Dassin's 1950's film-noir, Night and the City. The original had a lot of admirers which can often lead to a retread being heavily criticised and even though I haven't seen Dassin's version, Irwin Winkler's certainly didn't deserve the much maligned reception it received. Two-bit, incompetent lawyer Harry Fabian (Robert DeNiro) takes whatever unethical approach is required to defend his clients but when he finds himself involved in a lawsuit with a prize boxer, he develops and interest in the boxing world. In another of his get-rich-quick schemes he decides to stage his own boxing event but in doing so, he steps on the toes of the local mob boss and has to borrow money off everyone he knows to put his plan together. From the offset we overhear Sam the Sham's Wooly Bully played out to the sidewalks of Manhattan as DeNiro's Harry Fabian shuffles in and out of the busy commuters. It's a brisk opening and sets the tone for the rest of the film. Fabian is a man that's always on the move and by his own admission "I'm like a shark: I stop moving, I die". He's a very colourful character and it's another one of DeNiro's interestingly offbeat portrayals that's not unlike his desperate hanger-on Rupert Pupkin from The King Of Comedy. Fabian is basically a no-good, shyster who ambulance chases his way to a living. He lacks scruples and a moral integrity and anyone that gets close to him, simply isn't safe from his financial shenanigans. He really is a hard man to like but that's all the more reason to single out DeNiro's magnetic performance. As a viewer, you don't trust this man as far as you could throw him but DeNiro still makes you care. Despite his faults, Fabian is still shown to have a modicum of decency and it's a decency that DeNiro teases out of the role. He's not the only one on form, though, the entire supporting cast deliver very strong work; Jessica Lange's ambitious but bored waitress, Cliff Gorman as her controlling and suspicious husband, the great Jack Warden as DeNiro's business partner and Alan King as the local mobster "Boom Boom" who takes a strong disliking to Fabian. It's an eclectic mix of personalities that make up this quintessential New York story as cinematographer Tak Fujimoto makes great use of the locations to capture the flavour and vibrancy of the city itself. All positives aside, though, this film came in for some very heavy criticism; there has been complaints about it's tone, a muddled script, poor direction and badly judged performances but I really didn't see it that way. DeNiro's kinetic energy brings a very lively pace to the film and Irwin Winkler's direction handles the pace more than admirably and employs the use of some impressive tracking shots along the way. Even these weren't good enough for some, though, as he was criticised for trying too hard to be like Scorsese (who was originally onboard to direct before passing it on). I can accept that the ending of the film loses a little steam but, for the most part, Richard Price's screenplay is filled with humour, sharp dialogue and three-dimensional characters. There's not much more that's required. An under the radar and vastly underrated slice of New York life that benefits greatly from, a rarely offscreen, DeNiro in one of his most enjoyable roles. Forget the critics, there's much to recommend this and it's a film that should be on every DeNiro fan's list. Mark Walker Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A remake of an old black and white film. I like this version better!!! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member An unnecessary remake of a classic. Despite great performance from De Niro and Lange, and the well-crafted Scorsesian New York, De Niro's unjustified passion for boxing just put the audience in a heavy fog struggling to get involved without getting bored. The happy ending looks more like a farce. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member I first heard about this movie when i saw the theatrical trailer on a movie website a couple of years ago and I saw it for the first time and it was very entertaining. Just seein Robert De Niro as a cheating and incompetent New York City lawyer, who tries to become a boxing promoter but it doesn't go so easy, was both funny and one of his best performances i've ever seen in his career. Director Irwin Winkler directed an amazing groupm of actors that includes Jessica Lange, Eli Wallach, and the late greats Alan King, Jack Warden, and Cliff Gorman. The #1 song out of all the music in this film is not only but Freddie Mercury's 1987 solo song "The Great Pretender". It is one of my favorite songs and I listen to it every day and sometimes reminds me of this film and I'm glad they used this song, they should do it in more movies don't you think? Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A unique performance from De Niro where he plays the goofball underdog fighting to stay above water. A bit of a random story that grows arms and legs, and ends a bit prematurely but littered with comedy moments that probably shouldnt be funny it just about works. No De Niro, no enjoyment. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Night and the City

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