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Night and the City (1992) More at IMDbPro »

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21 comments in total

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13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Sometimes words aren't enough…, 16 January 2002
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

An ambulance chasing lawyer decides to become a boxing promoter in NYC. However he comes into conflict with money lenders and the local mob. He finds that his talk and promises are meaningless unless he can back them up and he digs himself into deeper trouble with every word.

This is a very low key NY drama in De Niro's career - more typical of the bottom feeders he played in the 70's than the powerful mob figures he has played more recently. This has a depressing feel of inevitability about it - you can see the problems in Fabian's plans long before they happen, giving the film a feel of small time from the very start. This isn't a story about small time making it big, rather a story of a hustler who talks himself into a corner. The story is therefore quite compelling, despite it being very low key, the only weakness being the romance subplot and the fact that it is quite depressing.

De Niro is good as Fabian, his best scenes are when he's talking, trying to create something that isn't. However his character isn't totally believable and when it all comes falling down it isn't that well done. Jessica Lange is good but doesn't have that much to do and again her character isn't convincing when the bad times come. Support is good from the likes of Eli Wallach, Jack Warner, Alan King and others.

Overall this is a good film with an overall air of realism. Not one of De Niro's best and indeed it has it's weaknesses but it's quite good.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Slice-of-low-life melodrama, 11 April 2003
Author: george.schmidt (george.schmidt@hbo.com) from fairview, nj

NIGHT AND THE CITY (1992) *** Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, Alan King, Cliff Gorman, Jack Warden, Barry Primus. Slice-of-low-life portrait remake of 1940 Richard Widmark flick casts De Niro as ambulance chasing attorney Harry Fabian trying to score big-time as a boxing promoter with the help of his lady love (Lange in an uncharacteristically unglamourous role) and the ex-fighter brother (Warden) of his chief nemesis (King in a humdinger of chilly malevolence as the corrupt boxing mogul). Feisty and surprisingly funny script courtesy of Richard Price (in a bit role as a doctor) has its moments of ugliness and sudden downshift into tragedy. De Niro, at times over-the-top, is the life-force to this otherwise entertaining melodrama.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Fine performance by De Niro, 9 December 2006

Author: Dennis Littrell (dalittrell@yahoo.com) from SoCal

This is a remake of Night and the City (1950) directed by Jules Dissan, who was blacklisted by Hollywood because of actions by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and for that reason is dedicated to Dissan who had to continue his career in Europe. The original film starred Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Francis L. Sullivan and Herbert Lom. I haven't seen that film, but I understand that it is very good.

This film from 1992 is not bad; however for some reason its reputation isn't much. The voters at IMDb give it a rather tepid 5.7 stars out of 10 while giving the original 8 out of 10. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with: (1) Robert De Niro playing a non-heroic character. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with his acting. He is outstanding as Harry Fabian, flimflam low life lawyer and cheap BS artist who tries desperately to make a big splash as a fight promoter. I think most De Niro fans would prefer to see him in a more two-fisted role. At any rate, those who didn't like the movie almost certainly didn't care for De Niro's performance since his character dominates the action.

(2) The ending, which some might see as unfinished and others as disagreeable since, regardless of what transpires, Fabian is still a loser, perhaps bigger than ever.

(3) Some rather cheesy plot play. Near the end Fabian and Helen (Jessica Lange looking as fetching as ever) hide in a dead end alley among dumpsters and trash cans. Well, they should have continued running since the guys after them were only walking. Also when Fabian and Helen run out the side door of the restaurant they go the wrong way so that the heavies can see them running across the street. Had they turned left instead of right (as anybody in their situation would have done) they would not even have been seen. Furthermore, Fabian in a flamboyant gesture throws $12,000 into the air that flutters to the ground in the dead end alley. Nobody bothers to pick it up. That could happen.

What cannot be faulted is the authentic New York atmosphere created by director Irvin Winkler, who is better know as a producer, most notably of the Sylvester Stallone "Rocky" films, and the fine work by the rest of the cast, especially Alan King (Ira "Boom Boom" Grossman), Eli Wallach (Peck), Cliff Gorman (Phil Nasseros), and Jack Warden (Al Grossman). The story itself, from a novel by Gerald Kersh (script by Richard Price), is a variation on the "lovable, colorful loser makes good" theme, only in this case, like an inept noir anti-hero, he falls on his face--more than once, by the way.

No real De Niro fan should miss this. Personally I thought it was one of his best performances. The rapid fire dialogue, the fawning, pathetic, yet somehow uplifting personality were not something most actors could pull off, at least not nearly as well. De Niro became the character he portrayed.

Bottom line: definitely worth seeing. You will not be bored.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The Impact Is Not The Same, 25 July 2009

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

In his career Robert DeNiro has done four remakes of classic films of which Night And The City is one of them. The other three are We're No Angels, Cape Fear, and Frankenstein. In redoing parts made immortal by Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Boris Karloff, and in this case Richard Widmark, DeNiro has wisely chosen not to imitate any of these people, instead whatever you think of the final product, he's certainly put out his own interpretation on these roles.

From the shadow world of the London underworld scene where American expatriate Richard Widmark operated to the streets of New York in the Nineties, the plot of Night And The City has essentially remained the same except, and this is critical for the ending. DeNiro must have loved the fact that his Tribeca Productions got to film in and around New York, especially in Tribeca.

Widmark is a small time hood, DeNiro is a cheap shyster lawyer, the kind that lawyer jokes are made about. He hears them and he's oblivious to them. What he's not oblivious to is the success he sees around him. It's personified by Cliff Gorman who runs a successful bar where DeNiro tells his war stories. It's also even more personified by Alan King who is a boxing promoter with some underworld connections. He's risen to the top in a very tough racket.

DeNiro tries to enter King's world and buys King's reluctant acceptance with using King's older brother Jack Warden who is a retired fighter living in an old age home. If you remember what happens in the original Night And The City, you pretty much know what is going to happen here and for the most part it does.

The legal profession doesn't necessarily attract guys like DeNiro, he's no Louis Brandeis, he's not about to publish articles in Harvard Law Review. But with him lying and conning is second nature, he does it like he breathes. Even Jessica Lange who is Gorman's wife and who DeNiro is carrying on with, he lies to her and worse because he needs money. He'd do all this if he wasn't a lawyer.

The cast is an incredibly select and good one of New Yorkers themselves who can play these parts like second nature. Even Jessica Lange who is a native of Minnesota is New York enough for her part. One role I have to call attention to is that of Margo Winkler. She has one scene as a judge with lawyer DeNiro whom obviously she's dealt with before. She throws him and his put up accident case out of court in a really terrific way.

The film would rate a lot higher with me had the original ending from Jules Dassin's classic version been kept. It wasn't and it really cheapens the impact of the film. Other than that this version of Night And The City is a good film with a great cast of players to perform it.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Remake from a noir classic with an unstoppable acting by Robert De Niro, 23 July 2009

Author: ma-cortes from Santander Spain

The picture deals an ambitious, fast-talking lawyer named Harry Fabian(Robert De Niro, Richard Widmark role) in N.Y.C., he's a hustler with several money-making schemes . Harry concocts a plot as boxing's small-time promoter . But he makes erroneous friends, the old boxer's brother(Alan King), a tough gangster. Harry is the role who fills completely the movie , he survives as person who reports false crime in the trials. Harry becoming involved with mobsters and an affair with his barman's spouse(Jessica Lange). But his plans go awry and he's on the run for his life. The story terminates with a persecution excellently filmed with all its rawness .

This noir urban/drama packs good performances though Robert De Niro is overacting. Nice interpretation by Jessica Lange , the only character who shows a bit of kindness on Harry. Supporting casting is frankly well, as Cliff Gorman, Eli Wallach, Jack Warden, Barry Primus, Michael Badalucco, among others , furthermore cameo role by Richard Price, screenplay's author. Dark cinematography by Tak Fujimoto and atmospheric and effective musical score by James Newton Howard. This version about Harry downfall lacks punch and dramatic weight, it results to be much better the classic adaptation (1955), a real masterpiece, set in London with Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Herbert Lom. This inferior new version is dedicated to Jules Dassin, the magnificent director of the original picture and adapted from the novel by Gerard Kersh. The motion picture is regularly directed by Irwin Winkler, usual producer of Robert De Niro films and occasionally filmmaker.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Night in the City-Another Fade To Black **, 19 July 2009

Author: edwagreen from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Robert De Niro proved once again what a good actor he is, even given the poor writing in this 1992 film. As Harry Fabian, an adventurous lawyer on the make for a quick buck, De Niro showed a dimension of a fast talking, aggressive lawyer, who is looking to make a big score as he focuses his attention to the crooked world of boxing.

De Niro had a really excellent supporting cast to work with, Jessica Lange and the late Cliff Gorman, as a couple, looking to make it big as well, with Lange romancing DeNiro on the side. The late Jack Warden represents the old-time prize fighter, filled with memories, along with his bad ticker. Alan King shines as his mobster brother, threatening and menacing to the hilt.

To me, De Niro represented another midnight urban cowboy, living in a city of decay, searching for an easy buck, and getting a bullet in the back for his efforts in the end.

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Bad movie - I walked out of the theater, 27 October 2009

Author: eagleeyedcritic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I can honestly say there has only been one or two movies that were so bad I left the theater and refused to watch them. This was one of those movies.

I stayed as long as I could but I couldn't bear to stay until the end. I like Jessica Lange and Robert DeNiro and consider them both to be good actors. Thus this was a real disappointment. They have both made much better movies than this one.

She's a waitress and he is a lawyer. I thought it was depressing and their first sex scene was carried out with wooden acting. I was on a date so that made it even worse.

Don't waste your money.

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Good, IF you're a De Niro fan., 31 August 2006

Author: coderx75 from United States

I actually liked this movie quite a bit but if you're not a De Niro fan, this movie would be completely lost on you. Just read the plot outline to see what I mean. An incompetent lawyer strives to become a boxing promoter. If you're not a De Niro fan but you still find that interesting than you probably have time to catch this movie while you're still deciding on your method of suicide.

On the other hand, if you ARE a De Niro fan, the idea of ol' Bobby playing a bullpoop-slinging, sheisty lawyer and ticking everyone off pretty much speaks for itself. He's got quite a few moments that make the movie interesting even if the plot line isn't.

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Cheated, 17 January 2003
Author: dkevinleroy from Sunshine, AZ.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Possibly the single worst ending to a movie I've ever seen. Great acting, great character development, a sense of impending doom, and then the movie inexplicably ends on what is supposed to be a lighthearted moment. Don't believe I've ever felt more cheated by the ending of a movie. The studio and director dropped the ball on what could have been a classic flick. It's like they ran out of money and fell behind schedule at the same time....and were told too bad... end it. Compelling story gone to waste with a bad title (which has nothing to do with the story), a ridiculously insulting ending, poor soundtrack, and an empty feeling in the gut. SPOILER SPOILER . You absolutely want this guy to get it in the end, he doesn't. Now I want revenge on whoever wasted my time with this anticlimactic piece of wasted potential. What a shame for me and Hollywood, and you too, if you watch it.

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Ever get that sense of incompleteness?, 20 August 1999
Author: Lord Res from Westside, USA

If so, and you enjoy it, then perhaps this is the movie for you. The casting people loaded this film with a lot of good, solid character actors, but apparently forgot a cohesive plot and a story to go with all these screen gems.

This movie goes to further serve that De Niro can make a vehicle, not matter how rusted and barely running, watchable. The way he develops his characters is always attention-grabbing and this picture is no different.

This film starts off in a bunch of different directions, then does the old bait and switch, but doesn't really go anywhere. The ending is possibly one of the worst of all time, it seems like whoever was directing this just went on whatever whim struck him at the time and at the end of two hours, the producers just got bored and stopped the show. Ultimately unfulfilling and unless you are a huge De Niro fan, a complete waste of 2 hours. If you do sit through it, please accept my best wishes that you are able to enjoy it without screaming, "Where is the payoff?" for most of the time it takes for viewing.

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