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City Hall

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City Hall

R

Released Feb 16, 1996

1h 51m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Tragedy strikes when a child is caught in the crossfire between a cop and a mobster on the streets of New York City. Mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino) brushes the situation under the rug, causing his deputy mayor, Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack), to start asking questions. When Calhoun discovers that Pappas, his idol, is actually deeply involved in illegal activity between the police department and the Mafia, he is faced with a dilemma: Should he stay quiet, or expose his boss for who he really is?

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Critics Consensus

City Hall explores political corruption with commendable intelligence, but this web of scandal struggles to coalesce into satisfying drama.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Director Harold Becker captures the political rhythms of the big city and keeps the rather complicated plot comprehensible. But audiences need to pay attention; this is not a by-the-numbers urban thriller.

Aug 7, 2019

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Jack Kroll

Newsweek

Its chief pleasure is the acting of the big cast, notably Pacino. At 55, he has a haggard, life-wrestling beauty and a street eloquence that has more innocence than De Niro and more sincerity than Nicholson.

Jan 18, 2013

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a decent-enough endeavor that often feels like it should be much, much better.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 16, 2023

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

An ambitious but unsatisfying meditation on the morality of power.

Rated: C

May 5, 2007

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: C

Jun 26, 2005

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Garry A

It's a decent film about political corruption. Al Pacino's performance is the reason I'd recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/25/25

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steve d

Not great but very good. things move fast in the beginning so if you're not paying attention important facts may pass you by. If you can't put your phone away this might not be for you. A case of one hand washing the other leading to the ruin of many.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

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Earl T

Could have been a two parter of L&0 -SUV...Liked it but at times Pacino was a little over acting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

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j F

Excellent acting, a realistic portrayal of the corruption facing NYC.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/16/24

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j f

John Cusack is pretty good at adolescent brooding, equally awful at anything else, and his regional accents are atrocious. Also, the movie itself isn’t very good.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

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jelisije j

Al Pacino is the soul of this movie and without him this movie barely passes as decent.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Harold Becker

Director

Al Pacino

John Pappas

John Cusack

Kevin Calhoun

Bridget Fonda

Marybeth Cogan

Danny Aiello

Frank Anselmo

Martin Landau

Walter Stern

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Synopsis

Tragedy strikes when a child is caught in the crossfire between a cop and a mobster on the streets of New York City. Mayor John Pappas (Al Pacino) brushes the situation under the rug, causing his deputy mayor, Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack), to start asking questions. When Calhoun discovers that Pappas, his idol, is actually deeply involved in illegal activity between the police department and the Mafia, he is faced with a dilemma: Should he stay quiet, or expose his boss for who he really is?

Director: Harold Becker
Producer: Edward R. Pressman, Ken Lipper, Charles Mulvehill, Harold Becker
Screenwriter: Ken Lipper, Paul Schrader, Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.0M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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