Prince of the City
1981 · Movie · R · 167 min · ★ 7.0 · 87% critics
A New York narcotics detective agrees to cooperate with federal investigators to expose police corruption, hoping to protect the people closest to him. As the inquiry widens, he’s pulled deeper into a web of deals, loyalties, and legal pressure, forcing hard choices and leaving him increasingly isolated.
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Details
- Years
- 1981
- Release date
- 1981-08-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 167 min
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (178 votes)
- Box office
- $8,124,257
- Budget
- $8,600,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a long, tense police-and-courthouse drama about blurred lines and loyalty under pressure; Not for you if you dislike talk-heavy stories or slow burns—try Serpico or Dog Day Afternoon for a closer fit.
Pros: intense moral dilemmas; gritty New York atmosphere; strong ensemble performances | Cons: very long runtime; lots of dense dialogue; uneven lead performance
Themes
- new york city
- corruption
- police
- 1970s
- wiretap
- police corruption
- district attorney
- narcotics cop
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1982 · nominated
Cast & crew
Treat Williams
as Daniel Ciello
Jerry Orbach
as Gus Levy
Richard Foronjy
as Joe Marinaro
- DB
Don Billett
as Bill Mayo
- KM
Kenny Marino
as Dom Bando
Carmine Caridi
as Gino Mascone
- TP
Tony Page
as Raf Alvarez
Norman Parker
as Rick Cappalino
Paul Roebling
as Brooks Paige
Bob Balaban
as Santimassino
Directed by Sidney Lumet