Prince of the City

1981
X
2h 47m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

10K

YOUR RATING

A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.

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Crime Drama

A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trus... Read allA New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

10K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 15 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 1:45

Official Trailer

Clip 2:53

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Photos64

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Storyline

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Trivia
Akira Kurosawa complimented director Sidney Lumet on the beauty of the camerawork and the whole movie. By this he meant that there is an elemental connection between the story and the techniques used. For example, background lighting is gradually phased out to make the characters stand out more towards the end of the film.

Goofs
During the Blomberg appeal, the judge calls Detective Ciello "Lieutenant Ciello".

Quotes
Daniel Ciello: I know the law. The law doesn't know the streets.

Alternate versions
The film originally premiered on TV in a version broadcast over 4 hours (running no longer than 196 minutes), including previously unseen material which had been cut from the 167-minute theatrical release. Among the restored scenes is one that makes more sense of the DiBenadetto Case (the character Ciello's first rat-job).

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: The Best of 1981 (1981)

Soundtracks
Love Will Keep Us Together
(uncredited)
Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Performed by Captain & Tennille

User reviews73

Featured review

9/10

An Underrated Masterpiece

I remember watching this many years ago, probably on TV, soon after it came out. It's always been on my mind and I watched it again over the last two evenings. I am just in awe of the powerful story, great acting and the gritty setting of this amazing film. To this day, I cannot believe Sidney Lumet never won an Oscar for best director for all the other great films of his: Twelve Angry Men, Serpico, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, and this masterpiece. With no special effects, no big name actors, no sex, Mr. Lumet has me glued to the screen for nearly three hours. I agree with the other reviewer that this is in the class of the great ones like the Godfather, On the Waterfront, Raging Bull, along with the French Connection, and Serpico. It's a shame that only a minuscule percentage of the IMDb population even has heard or seen films like these from this era, where films were truly an art form, rather than the commercial vehicle that they have become today.