Night of the Juggler (1980)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Robert Butler

Writers:

William P. McGivern (novel)
Rick Natkin (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1980 (France)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In the heart of every victim is a hero and he'll tear apart a city to prove it.

Plot:

A tough, New York ex-cop relentlessly searches for his kidnapped teenage daughter whom is held by a twisted psycho after mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

Plot Keywords:

Ransom | New York | Death | Psychopath | Police

Cast

James Brolin	...	Sean Boyd
Cliff Gorman	...	Gus Soltic
Richard S. Castellano	...	Lt. Tonelli (as Richard Castellano)
Linda Miller	...	Barbara Boyd (as Linda G. Miller)
Barton Heyman	...	Preacher
Sully Boyar	...	Larry the Dog Catcher
Julie Carmen	...	Maria
Abby Bluestone	...	Kathy Boyd
Dan Hedaya	...	Sgt. Otis Barnes
Mandy Patinkin	...	Allesandro the Cabbie
Marco St. John	...	Hampton Richmond Clayton III
Frank Adu	...	Wino
Nancy Andrews	...	Mrs. Logan
Rick Anthony	...	M.C.
Tony Azito	...	Peep Show Cashier

Also Known As:

New York Killer (UK) (video title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:R | France:-16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Before Gus takes Kathy underground, he yells to Sean, "I'm gonna fuck her!" and repeats it two more times, but the MPAA strongly advised the makers of the movie to dub out the word "fuck" at that scene because they felt that it was wrong for an adult male to say that he was going to have sex with an underage girl. Instead, Cliff Gorman's quote was fixed for him to say, "I'm gonna keep her."

Time capsule of sleazy NYC

Brolin stars as an ex-cop turned trucker driver who has to track down a psycho extortionist after the guy mistakenly kidnaps Brolin's daughter. Along the way he encounters pimps, prostitutes, crooked cops, youth gangs and, worst of all, his ex-wife. Ouch! Despite the horrible title (exactly what is that supposed to mean?), this is a great little thriller that captures NYC at its sleazy best. There are two great car/foot chases courtesy of stunt coordinator Chris Howell (who even had his preteen son C. Thomas Howell doing stunts on this!). Unfortunately the Media VHS I have is so dark during the last 15 minutes that it is hard to make out exactly what is happening (it is a chase through the sewers). Also featuring Julie Carmen, Dan Hedaya, Mandy Patinkin and porn star Sharon Mitchell (who also appeared in William Lustig's MANIAC).