The Public Eye

R

1992

1h 38m

Crime

Drama

List

61%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Tireless 1940s tabloid photographer Leon "The Great Bernzini" Bernstein (Joe Pesci) is always first to the scene of the crime, thanks to his uncanny journalistic instincts and the police scanner in his car. Known to his friends as "Bernzy," Leon is famous for capturing the gory aftermath of violent crimes that snuff the lives of New York City's famous. Bernzy gets a job offer from gorgeous nightclub owner Kay (Barbara Hershey), but finds he's way in over his head when the Mob gets involved.

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Steve D

It just comes off as sleezy .

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

Shioka O

Interesting to see a film made for Joe Pesci! Another forgotten gem featuring famous supporting actor as a lead. This look like a smaller mob film, a period drama, and this has clean photography and direction. I would loved to see this story more focus on Bernstein's profession and work ethics in journalism+photo, and filmed in B&W.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/02/22

Full Review

jason m

A lost gem from 1992 that pays homage to old-school noir & detective pictures, featuring one of Joe Pesci's best performances. Revisiting it all these years later makes me appreciate its smart writing, delicious production design & cinematography, and the good acting on display by Pesci & Hershey, who were in top form here. I had forgotten how sexy the rhythm & flow of this movie is. It deserves to be rediscovered.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Vagamente baseado no fotógrafo do New York, Arthur "Weegee" Fellig , e algumas das fotos do filme foram tiradas por Fellig, a trama é meio agarrada, parada, lenta, tinha potencial, trama interessante, pouco desenvolvida, pouco atrativa…

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

kevin w

Sort of a heads-up to famed New York tabloid photographer Weegee (Joe Pesci), this frames his slice-of-life artistic exploits with a minor key thriller involving two mob gangs struggling to control the burgeoning WW2 gas ration rackets, with an unbelievable side order of romancing the exotic nightclub owner (Barbara Hershey). The machinations do strive mightily but still only serve as a beginner's introduction to this curious photographic talent whose main contribution might be said in finding shocking beauty in the most unexpected of places: the grimy wells of a teeming rathole New York.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

andrey k

Yet one more rare gem is excavated from the multi-layered past of cinema by me. It is one of the best neo-noirs filmed after the 70's with tremendously authentic atmosphere of the 40's. All necessary attributes are here: crooks, gangsters, corrupted policemen, femme fatale, conspiracy, and an anti-hero who ultimately breaks his own code of not 'taking sides with anyone' to help an irresistible beauty as he fells in love with her. And, of course, the iconic mood. It is also one of the best roles of Joe Pesci and probably his best as the lead. This is the perfect gift for lovers of 'black cinema'.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Howard Franklin

Director

Joe Pesci

Leon Bernstein

Barbara Hershey

Kay Levitz

Stanley Tucci

Sal

Jerry Adler

Arthur Nabler

Jared Harris

Danny

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David Ansen

Newsweek

The tale's mournful B-movie romanticism-and Pesci's introspective, crablike performance gets under your skin. In its moody, daffy way, The Public Eye gives off an authentic reek of artistic compulsion.

Jan 18, 2013

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

There are moments in The Public Eye that made me think a little about Casablanca, especially the earlier scenes when Bogart is still mad at Bergman. Higher praise is not necessary.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The Public Eye’s investigation into the nature of this opportunistic artist is secondary to the film’s mystery, which, though modeled after popular neo-noirs, never quite achieves the same level of interest.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 2, 2024

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The Public Eye is the sort of film that frankly never had any chance of becoming a financial success (it grossed a paltry $3 million against a $15 million budget), yet it's good enough that we're thankful the studio elected to waste money on it anyway.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 5, 2020

Full Review

Vanessa Letts

The Spectator

The film's visual rhythm is a key reflection of its story, so that neither the lush beauty nor the arresting squalor is gratuitous.

Jul 25, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Tireless 1940s tabloid photographer Leon "The Great Bernzini" Bernstein (Joe Pesci) is always first to the scene of the crime, thanks to his uncanny journalistic instincts and the police scanner in his car. Known to his friends as "Bernzy," Leon is famous for capturing the gory aftermath of violent crimes that snuff the lives of New York City's famous. Bernzy gets a job offer from gorgeous nightclub owner Kay (Barbara Hershey), but finds he's way in over his head when the Mob gets involved.

Director: Howard Franklin
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.0M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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