During this past weekend, Marcia and I watched “City Hall”, starring Al Pacino, John Cusack, and Bridget Fonda.
Thanks to IMDB and Tim Horrigan, here is a plot summary:
One seemingly routine morning, a little boy is shot dead in the cross fire between a drug dealer and a narcotics detective in a predominantly black New York City neighborhood. John Pappas (Pacino), the idealistic mayor of the city, cleverly prevents a race riot, and everything seems to be OK. However, things get complicated again when Kevin Calhoun (Cusack), the deputy mayor, who is even more idealistic than Pappas himself, begins to wonder why the drug dealer, who just happens to be the son of the local Mafia boss, was out on the streets in the first place after receiving a sentence of five year’s probation for a conviction which would normally warrant a 10 to 20-year jail term. Further complicating matters is Marybeth Cogan (Fonda) who represents the widow of the narcotics detective. She is trying to find out why the pension for the cop is being withheld and she brings Calhoun deeper into a scandal that makes him take a second look at what he once took for granted.
I remember seeing parts of this movie back when it originally started showing up on HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime. After watching the whole movie, I realized that I had seen the whole thing before. But it was worth another look.
Marcia and I have been on a Pacino kick as of late. He again showed some great skill in this movie. Not only that, but it probably was a good depiction of a big city mayor, doing what needs to be done in front of the camera, or in front of others, when needed. As for Cusack and Fonda, I have always liked both of them as well. And though they didn’t deliver outstanding performances, they certainly didn’t do bad jobs either.
The depth of the cover up makes for a good story. The final tie though still has me wondering. It never seems to be fully explained. But the acting from the entire cast is well worth the trip.
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