Prince of the City (1981)

VHS COVER/ SIDE

Length of film:  167 Minutes

Rated: R

Genre: Crime, Drama

Director: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Don Billett, Kenny Marino, Norman Parker, Paul Roebling

IMDB Rank: 7.4/10

Part 1 Time: 86 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  81 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Danny Ciello (Treat Williams) speaks to fellow detectives Gus Levy (Jerry Orbach), Joe Marinaro (Richard Foronjy), Bill Mayo (Don Billett), Gino Mascone (Carmine Caridi), and Raf Alvarez (Tony Page) about his involvement investigating police corruption.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “The last guy you tried to help me like that, is going inside, it’s all so fu**in funny Joe,” Danny Ciello states.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “None of us know how it leaked, they got every case outlined, two years worth,” Detective Joe Marinaro states.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal, we understand the dangers of Danny going undercover to explore police corruption. Now Danny is faced with leaving is family in order to keep them safe, all the while his reporting supervisor U.S. Atty. Rick is being transferred to another department. Will Danny still be able to continue with the investigation? Will the investigation uncover corruption among his police partners or himself?

Which part is better? In part one, we are introduced the the daily life of a narcotics officer and his tight relationship with his squad. In part two, we see Danny struggle with morality as he is forced to decide whether or not to turn in his fellow partners for corruption, or purge himself and all the hard undercover work he has been involved in. Due to the stakes involved and Danny’s conflict within himself to do what is right, part two is superior to part one.

Academy Awards: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Nominated)